Gone Rogue
by TheFrankMaster
Summary: When Jack gets transported into a world not dissimilar to his favorite game, he is given a warm welcome by the locals. However, when he participates in the hunt for an apparently dangerous monster, he finds out that these people are not as good as they seem. The result is Jack betraying the lot, fleeing the village and making unexpected friends. [Contains Mob Talker]
1. Prologue

**Gone Rogue**

 _Prologue_

 **The Overworld, approx. 2600 years ago**

The sudden sound of the opening door startled Héah, causing her to look over her shoulder and away from the food she was preparing. She relaxed when the familiar forms of Gebétan and Jheoru entered the house.

Her relaxation ended when the two men quickly closed the door behind them in an urgent manner. Gebétan immediately turned to Héah. His gaze was alarmed.

"Gebétan?" Heah asked. "Is everything all right, love?"

Gebétan approached her with swift steps, his expression growing more urgent. "Héah," he said. "Has anyone come into our house?"

"No," Héah replied, frowning. "Why do you ask?"

"We must go to our cellar. _Now._ " Gebétan turned to Jheoru, who had used the dining table and a pair of chairs to barricade the door. "Jheoru? Come with us." Gebétan turned back to his wife. "Go. I will explain once we are downstairs."

Héah had grown nervous—Gebétan was behaving oddly tense—but obeyed. Once the three were in the cellar, the hulk of a man called Jheoru proceeded to barricade that door as well with the few pieces of furniture he could find.

Gebétan was sweating as he sat down on the stone ground, his back at the wall, his gaze haunted and shocked. Héah felt desperate for answers, but she patiently waited until her husband had caught his breath.

"The king and queen are dead," Gebétan suddenly blurted out. "Killed by their son."

Héah's eyes widened.

"Prince Éhtan…" Gebétan panted. "He turned out to be the unnamed leader of the Arbiters. Had 'accepted' numerous fellow undercover members as soldiers and guards. He destroyed the Kingdom from the inside with one single command."

The Arbiters. A hate group that sought complete separation between human and mob. They considered mobs too dangerous to live among humans—or even too dangerous to live at all. They had not gained that many followers, but they had nonetheless become a surprisingly large problem for the Kingdom.

"What about Earnung?" Héah suddenly remembered. "Is she alive?"

"Unsure, but I doubt it. The princess would pose too great of a threat to the Arbiters."

"But Éhtan was closer to his sister than he was to anyone else!" Héah tried to reason, though she knew it was a lost cause. Accepting it was difficult; she had known Earnung personally.

Gebétan shook his head. "I am sorry, love."

"We must leave," Jheoru's deep voice intervened. "They are currently murdering everyone who supports mobs. It will only be a matter of time before they reach this cellar." He looked at Gebétan. "Captain?"

"I am no captain, Jheoru. And you are no lieutenant. The Royal Guard disbanded the moment Éhtan commanded the Arbiters to attack."

"With respect, sir, I do not see the rise of a hate group as a reason to disband."

Gebétan flashed a brief smile. "Ever the optimist, huh…"

"Of course, sir. That is why I am lieutenant."

"True. Very true…"

"We must go," Héah said. "Come. Our secret exit."

Jheoru nodded and looked at Gebétan again. "Time to leave, sir." He held out a hand, which his captain took.

"Very well," Gebétan said as Jheoru helped him to his feet. "Once outside, we must find whoever is left to aid the mobs in their survival. But we must be wary of the Arbiters as well. More may join them now." He looked at Héah. "You are more at risk than most."

"Am I?" Héah asked as she proceeded to go to the cellar's secret exit, followed by the two men. "I imagine they are no more merciful to mob defenders such as you than they are to mobs such as myself."

"She may be right, sir," Jheoru agreed. "The Arbiters hardly care if they have to kill some humans. We are all vulnerable."

Gebétan nodded. "I suppose. Once we are outside the capital, however, we will have a better chance of joining other mobs. Our secret exit is one of few in this city. It will take us two days to reach the outside—after which the hallway will collapse and be sealed permanently."

"Does each secret exit have that last feature, sir?"

"Yes. This was meant to give us an advantage of time during situations such as this." The normal way out of the city takes three days to pass, mainly thanks to its maze-like features and many turns.

Once the three reached the entrance to the exit—which was hidden behind a wall carpet—Gebétan ordered Jheoru to take point. Once the lieutenant was inside, Gebétan gestured for Héah to follow.

"Wait," Héah said as she turned back, realizing something. "We should bring others!"

"We cannot," Gebétan regretfully said. "Éhtan's men must be near our house by now. They execute everyone who opposes them." His shoulders faltered. "I am sorry, dear. We attempted to fight…but the Arbiters ambushed and overwhelmed us. The king and queen were dead before I realized it."

Héah sighed. She had expected this answer, but she never wished to give up. If there was even the slightest chance for her to save someone from death…

Regardless, she shook her head at her husband's words. "No…do not apologize. This is not your fault."

"I was supposed to protect them," Gebétan said.

"Do not worry, love." Héah put her hands on Gebétan's shoulders. "We will unite mobs…and we will end the Arbiters' reign before it has truly begun."


	2. Transported to the impossible

_**Hw231:**_ _Thank you! I'm glad to hear that._

* * *

 ** _Act 1: Ironhand_**

 _Chapter one: Transported to the impossible_

 **Present day**

Jack unconsciously groaned as he slowly started to wake up, his surroundings becoming clearer as the dizziness he felt began to settle down. His body felt stiff and his mind numb, both factors tempting him to try to go back to sleep—something that shouldn't be too difficult, as long as he kept his eyes closed.

Something in the back of his head nagged at him, however, drawing his attention. He reluctantly cracked open one eye and glanced around the room he was in.

Upon seeing it, he forced both his eyes open. No longer feeling paralyzed, he sat up in the bed he lay in, all the while continuing to examine the room. The tiredness he'd felt before was gone.

He didn't recognize it. The furniture looked rather simple and…old-fashioned. Instead of an oven or a microwave, there was a small primitive-looking furnace of stone. The table and chairs were simple, roughly carved out pieces of wood—as was the frame of the bed beneath him.

The young man frantically kept looking around the room until his eye was caught by one of the windows. A flat grass field lay just beyond it. Large mountains were visible in the distance. At any other time, that view might've been impressive to him. Now, however, it only served to tell him that he was pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

 _Calm down,_ he suddenly commanded himself. _You're not in the middle of nowhere; if you were, you'd be lying on the ground. Not in a house._

That made him turn his gaze to the house's interior again.

He eventually managed to steady his breathing, after which he put his back against the wall behind him. His gaze was subconsciously drawn to the ceiling, as he attempted to recall the memories that might hold some clue as to where he was.

 _I…remember coming home from school,_ he thought. _But what happened after that…?_ _Ah, right—I went straight for my computer. Wanted to give Minecraft another try._

 _Hadn't played the game in a while. Almost forgot about it… Right…the Mob Talker mod. Too bad it didn't work… Then again, maybe that's for the best. Don't know if having the mobs turn into girls would've improved my self-image, heh… Ah well, mods aren't my thing anyway._

 _Uh…oh, yeah. Hackers…or something._ He growled, closing his eyes and trying to bring back the image of what happened after his game crashed. It almost felt as if something tried to keep him from remembering. _Uh…MT mod didn't work, uninstalled it, Minecraft still didn't work…that's when the text appeared._

 _It…said something about needing me to…do something. Do what, again? Is this just me being groggy now, or is my memory that terrible…? Either way, I must've blacked out sometime after that… Shit…I'm going to be missed if I stay away for too long. I have to get back…_

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening drew his attention. He looked over to see a man his age enter the building.

The man, oddly enough, looked not dissimilar to a stereotypical warrior from a fantasy novel. Brown leather armor, a scabbard with a sword at his belt, and a smaller scabbard with a dagger on his lower leg. Upon entering the room, he looked at Jack with a stoic gaze, freezing when their eyes met.

After a second of slightly awkward silence, Jack swiftly got up from his bed, eyeing the sword at the other man's belt. The man, however, remained calm as he closed the wooden door behind him.

"You are awake," the man said. His voice was calm and held little emotion. "I am glad."

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He just looked at the guy in front of him—more specifically his weapons.

"My name is Raulyn," the man said, apparently sensing Jack's nervousness. "What is yours?"

"…Jack," Jack eventually said. His voice sounded slightly more raspy than usual. "Jack…Snyder."

"Well, Jack Snyder," Raulyn said, "I shall disregard any other formalities for now; I believe you have questions." He sat down at the dining table and gestured to the chair across from him. "Have a seat, if you like."

Jack hesitated again. After a moment of silence, he walked over to the dining table, but didn't sit on the chair. Fortunately, Raulyn didn't seem to mind that…though it was difficult to tell if that was really the case. The man's face didn't let any emotions shine through.

"Go ahead and ask away," Raulyn said.

"Okay…" Jack responded, feeling a bit weirded out by Raulyn's mannerisms. "For starters…where am I?"

"I expected this one," Raulyn said. "You are in my house, in a village called Ironhand. We are not a very large community, but we manage to get by. Not to mention, our security forces are…quite legendary."

"Which country?" Jack asked, feeling a bit impatient. It might've been a dumb question: Raulyn spoke fluently English. But Jack wanted to know for sure…

"We do not divide our world in countries," Raulyn explained. "Not anymore. Not since the fall of the Kingdom, more than two thousand years ago. Each village and city has its own way of ruling now."

The unexpected answer dazed Jack. No countries? Had he really been… _removed_ from his home? "Wait," he said, trying to stay calm. "Your-your 'world'?"

Raulyn frowned. "… Yes. The Overworld. The world where we are now."

That, too, struck Jack. The Overworld…wasn't that essentially the name of the worlds where games took place in? Most games…including…?

 _Don't even…!_ he reprimanded himself. _Even if getting sucked into a videogame was possible, everything here would be made of cubes—including the guy I'm talking to right now._

"Are you all right?" Raulyn asked.

"Yeah, fine," Jack quickly lied. "How'd I get here?"

"That I do not know. You appeared not very far from our village, one day ago. You were unconscious, but in perfect health."

That left Jack completely speechless. He exhaled, his panic rising again. He wanted to say or ask something—anything that might help him get back home.

Nothing came out of his throat. He felt dizzy again.

He quickly put his hands on the backrest of the seat in front of him in an attempt to keep himself from falling over. Raulyn stood up, looking worried. Jack put up his hand to signal that he was alright. Raulyn apparently understood it and kept his distance, but still seemed ready to help in case Jack lost consciousness or something. He visibly relaxed when Jack, despite his remaining nausea, finally let go of the chair.

Raulyn sighed, before gesturing to the door. "Come," he softly said. "You may appreciate some fresh air."

* * *

 **The first Mob Talker elements will appear around chapter 3 (not counting the prologue as a chapter).**

 **Also, this will** **not** **be a story where everyone of the opposite gender falls in love with the main character. There'll only be one.**


	3. To find a job

**By the way, no—Jack's name is** **not** **a reference to Zack Snyder. Also, as mentioned in the previous chapter, the Overworld does** **not** **consist of blocks; it looks normal.**

* * *

 _Chapter two: To find a job_

"Before I show you everything the village has to offer," Raulyn said, "we need to discuss an important matter."

He and Jack were standing just outside his house. Some villagers who passed by gave the duo—particularly Jack—curious looks, but said nothing.

Jack was troubled by the fact that the villagers didn't look dissimilar to the ones in Minecraft—or, at least, that was the case with their clothing. He saw few bald men, but the all too familiar robes in the equally familiar colors said quite a bit. Of course, if you wanted to be optimistic, you could say that the possibility of all those things being weird coincidences still couldn't be completely excluded…

"If you are going to settle here permanently, or at least for an extended period of time," Raulyn continued, "you will need work."

"Right…" Jack mumbled. "Any idea what kind of job suits me?"

"That is your decision. All I can do is inform you of which jobs are available." He hesitated. "With that being said, there is only one thing Ironhand truly needs at the moment."

"What's that?"

"More Hunters."

Jack frowned. "Hunters? I'm going to get meat for everyone?"

"No. The Hunters are the security force here in Ironhand. We defend the village against threats, or we hunt down those threats before they become a problem. I am a Hunter myself—and the closest thing they have to a leader."

 _Guess that explains why he looks like a warrior._ "So you fight bandits, right?"

"Actually, our most prominent targets are mobs."

That word struck Jack again. Mobs…

Jack tilted his head, trying to hide his nervousness. "Okay… Well, if that's all you need, I guess…" He trailed off. "What exactly does it take to become one of you?"

"Nothing mandatory, though having recruits who already have some skill is always appreciated." Raulyn gave Jack a questioning look. "Do you have experience with fighting?"

"Yes, actually," Jack replied. "Took lessons. Been in some fights—not by choice," he quickly added. It was all true.

Raulyn raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps we should put your skills to the test," he said. " _If_ you are willing to become a Hunter, that is. If you are, then you are welcome to join. Especially since there are currently only three of us."

Jack looked at him. "Only three? Is that all you have to defend the village?"

"More would always be welcome, of course." The Hunter frowned. "While it is possible to defend the village with only three Hunters, it can be rather difficult at times. We would train more people, but not many are willing to get the job."

"Why is that?"

"Aside from the danger one would put themself in on a daily basis? Many people simply lack motivation. Or their interests lie elsewhere."

Jack thought about it for a while. Getting a job as a medieval cop? Mob hunters? If this really was some kind of Minecraft-ish world—though it obviously had some differences—he had some idea about how much of a problem mobs could be. He reckoned that hunting them would be a service for the rest of the village.

But he _also_ had some idea about how easy it'd be to die to them. Sure, he had experience with killing them in a video game, but doing the same in another world—in _real life_ —would undoubtedly be different. More difficult. More dangerous.

"How hard is it to beat a mob in a fight?" he hesitantly asked, mostly to make sure his suspicions were correct. "We don't really have mobs in my world, so…"

"How difficult?" Raulyn said. "That differs for each mob. They each have their very own inhuman abilities."

 _Inhuman abilities, huh…_ "What kinds of mobs are there?" Jack asked, once again to test if the answer he expected was the answer he'd actually get.

"There's only one kind: the mob," Raulyn said, much to Jack's surprise. "Every mob is completely unique. The only thing they have in common is the danger they collectively represent."

 _Each mob is unique?_ Jack thought. _So…there's only one of each mob…?_

"The amount of known mobs that are at large at this moment is not a small number," Raulyn continued. "Some of us have taken to giving them…nicknames."

"Nicknames…?"

The Hunter sighed. "Please do not ask. Those nicknames are ridiculous. All you need to know is that, if given the chance, mobs will harm you."

"Right." Once again, Jack thought to himself for a while. This was a lot to take in, yet…not.

"If you need time to make your decision, then I will leave you to it," Raulyn said. "But first, we need to make sure that you have weapons and permanent shelter." He gestured towards a nearby building, which appeared to be a blacksmith's forge. "We will make preparations for the former first."

"How? I don't have any money."

"Allow me to take care of that. Your mysterious appearance did not go unannounced. I very much doubt anyone would be willing to charge you for anything."

"Really?" What a pleasant surprise.

"What is your weapon of choice?"

Jack remained silent at first, thinking about what his answer would be. His first idea was a sword, but something stopped him: he already knew how to fight without weapons. Learning how to use a sword might end up just wasting his and the Hunters' time—especially if he wasn't really going to use it. He was far more competent at fighting unarmed.

"… I think I'm going to hold off for now," he finally said.

Raulyn raised an eyebrow.

"I know how to fight," Jack explained, "but not with a sword."

"What about a dagger? In the case of an emergency?"

"Thanks, but no. I'd probably just end up cutting myself."

"… Very well," Raulyn slowly said. He obviously didn't like Jack's decision, but he didn't object. "Then…I suppose we can immediately move on to your shelter."

"Uh, right…" Jack suddenly felt his nausea return to him a little bit. Talking with Raulyn about all this had allowed him to forget his main problem for a while, but when shelter was mentioned…

Was he really going to stay here for that long?

"It may take some time to build a house for you," Raulyn said. "Until then, you should get your rest in the inn."

"An inn? Again, I don't have any way to pay."

"I know the innkeeper personally. I do believe he will be willing to let you stay for free until you get on your feet in our village."

"I'm not staying."

The Hunter tilted his head.

"I mean I'm not staying in this world," Jack quickly said. "Or wherever I am. I have to get back home before long."

"I realize this," Raulyn said, "and we will do everything in our power to take you there. Research will be done. But until we find a way, you will need a roof above your head."

Jack suppressed a sigh. He didn't know why, but something about Raulyn made the Hunter seem so convincing—as if he was _sure_ that they'd find a way to return Jack home. But there was that one line—'Research will be done'—that made the whole thing less reassuring. It was apparent that no one here knew what to do at the moment. Who knew how long that research was going to take.

Raulyn really _did_ try to sound reassuring, and he was almost successful there…but Jack knew that the Hunter's words were meaningless. There was nothing they could do. Not soon, at least.

"Where's the inn?" Jack eventually asked.

* * *

The innkeeper—his name was Andrew—was a jolly fellow who was more than willing to let Jack stay for free until his house had been built. Raulyn left after Jack got his room.

Minutes after that, Jack found himself lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling while thinking about everything that had been happening today.

As far as he knew, it didn't happen often that someone got brought to what appeared to be a completely separate world. First his computer freaked out, after which he magically appeared near this fantasy-styled village. Now he was staying at a medieval-looking—but surprisingly clean—inn until he got a place to live in permanently.

What about his family? Was there anything in his bedroom back home to indicate where he had gone? Would anyone even believe he got transported to a practically unreachable place?

Would his family be worried?

Jack sighed and closed his eyes. Of course they were worried. They probably thought he'd been abducted, or that he'd run away. And he couldn't just stop by his house to tell them that he was alright. All he could do was wait and hope for the best. Hope that he'd find a way to get back.

Hope that this was all just a dream, and that he'd soon wake up.

The true dream, however, only came when he fell asleep.


	4. The hunt

_Chapter three: The hunt_

 _Jack._

 _This is no game._

 _This is no dream._

 _This is real._

* * *

"Snyder!"

Not remembering what his dream had been about, Jack woke up to a familiar voice yelling his name. As he blinked his eyes open in an attempt to adjust to the light that filled his vision, he slowly sat up to see Raulyn standing in his room with some kind of lamp in his hand. The lamp looked like a medieval-styled oil lamp, but instead of a flame, a yellowish colored stone appeared to be the light source.

 _Is that glowstone?_ Jack wondered.

"Jack," Raulyn said, sounding urgent, "I need to speak with you."

Jack rubbed his eyes. "Is this about that stuff with my house?" he lazily asked.

The Hunter shook his head. "No. I wanted to see if you were fit to become a Hunter, should you choose it to be your career."

"So you woke me up in the middle of the night?" Jack dryly said.

"A mob has been sighted nearby."

That wasn't the answer Jack had expected. Something reminiscent of nervousness began to stream through him. He suddenly had an idea where this was going. The fact that he felt a kind of excitement at the same time only made matters worse.

"I want you to participate in the hunt," Raulyn said. "To test your skill."

"Uh, right," Jack awkwardly said. "Sure."

As he followed Raulyn outside, he found himself regretting not buying a dagger when he had the chance.

* * *

Once they were outside, Raulyn led Jack to two other people, who were standing near a stationary lamp.

One of them was a tall man who seemed to be older than Raulyn or Jack—probably being around his mid-twenties—with leather torso armor that did not cover his muscular arms. He had a large sword on his back. His hair was so short that, if it weren't so dark, Jack would've thought the man was bald.

 _Huh…_ Jack thought. _This guy looks older than Raulyn. Why isn't_ he _the leader?_

The other, shorter guy did seem to be of Jack's age. He had a bow on his back, a crossbow in his hands and a dagger on his belt. He also had two quivers, one with crossbow bolts and one with arrows.

Once the two parties met, Raulyn spoke up. "Drake. Tristan. This here is our newest recruit." He gestured to Jack. "We will leave the formalities for now. We have a mob to hunt."

The other two Hunters looked at Jack. Jack gave them a nod as a means of greeting, and they returned the favor. Their faces didn't betray any specific emotion, but they seemed friendly.

"Where was it sighted?" Raulyn asked the tall Hunter.

In response, said tall Hunter looked and pointed to a small mountain just outside the village. "The Silver Cave. We are not sure what the mob is doing there, but it might escape if we wait for too long." He looked back at his leader. "Ready when you are."

"As am I," his smaller comrade spoke up.

Raulyn looked at Jack. "It is up to you now. Are you ready?"

Jack briefly hesitated, but nodded. "Sure…"

And with that, the four men left for the Silver Cave.

* * *

"We are here," Raulyn said.

The group was standing in front of a cavern, which was embedded in the side of a huge mountain near the village. The cavern went downwards, quickly dividing itself into two separate hallways—one to the right and one to the left.

"We have to split up," Tristan noted.

The tall Hunter—his name was Drake—nodded. "Raulyn and I will take the right," he said. "Jack and Tristan, you two should go left."

"Are you sure?" Raulyn asked. "I do not think that that is a good strategy." He looked at the two others. "No offense, but Drake and I still have more experience with mobs than either of you. To divide our group like this…"

"I believe we can manage," Tristan spoke up. He looked at Jack. "You?"

"Sure," Jack replied, once again hiding his hesitance.

Raulyn still didn't seem to like it. Not sure what to say, he just looked at the duo—particularly Jack—with a conflicted expression.

"Experience is the most instructive type of training we know," Drake ultimately said. "I think they are prepared enough to fight whatever they come across."

Raulyn sighed in response. He was obviously still reluctant, but there wasn't much time to argue. "Very well."

And so it went: Tristan and Jack entered the left hallway, while Drake and Raulyn explored the right.

All the while, Tristan had his crossbow at the ready. He and Jack didn't talk much as they carefully walked further down the cave-ish hallways, the glowstone lamps at the walls illuminating their path.

"Hey, Tristan…" Jack eventually whispered, breaking the silence. "People have been down here before, right?"

The Hunter looked at him, slightly confused. "Yes. This cave was popular for its many resources—particularly silver. Why are you asking?"

Jack shook his head. "No, nothing. I was just…worried about something." When Tristan gave him a questioning look, he explained. "I read something once… Caves like this sometimes have…toxic stuff lying around, or something. Just wanted to be sure we wouldn't randomly fall over and die."

"I…see," Tristan replied, obviously not knowing what Jack was talking about. "But the only reported deaths here happened years ago, just after the Kingdom fell—and even those reports are little more than rumors."

Jack glanced at him. "The Kingdom? Raulyn brought that up at some point, I think…but he didn't really go into detail."

"I have a book about it you may borrow."

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that."

The silence that followed dragged on for a while. As the two continued walking, Jack looked around the cave in an attempt to find what he was looking for. No mob could be seen, but it was clear that this place still had enough resources to be taken. Shimmering ores in the wall, ceiling, and floor reflected the light of the surrounding glowstone lamps on numerous occasions.

Eventually, the duo turned a corner to the right, which lead them to a short hallway with a dead end. At the end of the hallway, a small humanoid figure could be seen lying on the ground in a curled up position.

The figure seemed to be that of a kid—about ten or eleven years old—wearing blue jeans and a green, slightly torn t-shirt. Their eyes were closed.

Their eyes opened, however, when Tristan quickly aimed his crossbow at them and yelled, "Do not move!"

The unidentified person blinked twice. When they saw the two men, fear made itself visible on their face, and they crawled backwards against the wall. Once they reached it, they stood up.

Jack suddenly froze upon seeing the kid's face in the light of the nearest lamp. It was a boy—and an oddly familiar one at that. Something scratched at the back of Jack's head. The mod he attempted to install—the Mob Talker mod…

This couldn't be a coincidence. He'd seen pictures and videos about the mod itself. The person standing there didn't exactly look like an anime character, but his appearance allowed Jack to recognize him anyway.

The person—the _kid_ these Hunters had been going after all this time…

It was Yaebi. The zombie boy.

Tristan took a step towards the kid, his crossbow still at the ready. "You there!" the Hunter yelled. "You are under arrest!"

"Tristan…" Jack found himself saying with uncertainty in his voice. The Hunter gave him a questioning glance. "I never asked… _why_ is he under arrest?"

Tristan frowned. "Because he is a mob!" he vehemently exclaimed. "An extremely dangerous abomination of being!" he looked back at the kid. "A force to be reckoned with."

 _Way to be an asshole about it,_ Jack thought. "I'm just asking, what did he do so wrong to… _attract our wrath_?"

Tristan didn't seem to notice the slightly mocking edge to Jack's voice when he said that last part. "That is irrelevant! If we do not contain them, they will eventually outgrow the human population and form an even greater potential threat to us."

"A _potential_ threat?!" Jack echoed, raising his voice. "I'm sorry, how many cases did you say are there where a mob killed a human unprovoked?"

"I do not know. All I know is that their inhuman abilities make them dangerous, and that danger needs to be eradicated!"

Jack felt anger rise. Anger, not only for Tristan, but for himself as well. He had completely relied on his Minecraft experiences, despite numerous clues so far indicating that this wasn't the same. He had unthinkingly taken Raulyn's word for it when he said that mobs were the enemy.

Now Jack realized that he wasn't helping heroes; he was helping racists.

He turned to the mob, who now also looked confused.

"What's your name?" Jack asked the kid after a moment of hesitation, not sounding particularly friendly or hostile.

Tristan gave him an incredulous look. "Are you trying to _befriend_ this crea—?"

Jack shot the Hunter a glare—"Shut up."—before turning back to the kid, his gaze silently pressing the boy to reveal his name. If he was right about this person's identity…

"Y…" A quiet sound erupted from the mob's throat. "Y…Yaebi…"

 _I knew it._

"Silence!" Tristan shouted to Yaebi, causing the kid to freeze again. "You will be brought to our village and face the justice you deserve!"

Jack turned to him with another glare. "So you people just discriminate mobs and call it justice?"

The Hunter remained silent. He simply continued looking at Yaebi.

Jack shook his head. "I'm going to regret this…"

Shortly after saying that, he swiftly grabbed Tristan's crossbow and smashed it against the wall. Before the Hunter could retaliate, Jack grabbed his opponent's head and slammed it against the same wall. Tristan pulled the trigger of his weapon, causing a wooden bolt to fly a meter or so past Yaebi, who was frozen in fear.

Having rendered the crossbow useless for now, both combatants let it go. Jack readied his hands.

Tristan drew his dagger from his belt.

 _Shit,_ Jack thought. _I forgot about that dagger._

The Hunter went for a quick stab with reverse grip, forcing Jack to step aside and deflect Tristan's attacking hand away from him. Before Tristan could do another attempt to strike, Jack's fist swiftly moved against his face, causing the Hunter to stagger and unconsciously loosen his grip on the knife. Evidently, Tristan had underestimated his opponent.

Before Tristan knew it, Jack had grabbed his dagger and attempted to twist his arm to disarm him. Tristan, however, was quick to let his weapon go, swiftly dealt a blow against Jack's back, and kicked him face-first against the wall. Jack managed to turn to his opponent, right when Tristan punched his face and delivered another jab to his stomach.

Jack growled in pain, but he managed to dodge the next attack and move past his enemy. As he did so, he came across Tristan's dagger on the ground. He unthinkingly grabbed it, whirled around, and slashed at Tristan.

A slight tug indicated that he had hit something. A cut had appeared on the back of Tristan's defensive hand. The Hunter grimaced briefly, but he didn't seem to be too bothered by the wound.

Tristan reached for an arrow.

Jack thought quickly. Tristan had the disadvantage; Jack reckoned that cutting with a knife was quite a bit more effective and easy than doing so with an arrow—

Suddenly, a rock with the size of a fist made its way against Tristan's temple, effectively stunning him. Not caring where it had come from, Jack took his chance. He grabbed the arrow from Tristan's weakened grasp and kicked the Hunter against the wall. He then swiftly picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it against Tristan's bleeding head, knocking him out.

Dropping the dagger, Jack looked at Tristan's unconscious form.

Then, remembering something, he turned to where the rock from before had come from. He didn't see anything, but the sound of rapid footsteps running down the hallway towards the entrance of the cave gave some clue as to who had thrown it.

He turned his gaze back to Tristan, his adrenaline subsiding a bit as the footsteps got farther and farther away. Haunting thoughts began to rise in his head. How he was going to face the Hunters now? Or Ironhand itself? Even if they'd let him come back, he sure wouldn't be welcome in the inn anymore. He'd be seen as a traitor. Other villages would undoubtedly be told about what he did.

He just bought himself a one-way ticket to the uninhabited world outside human society.

But he just had to do something. He couldn't've just let Tristan kill or take that boy. Judging from the Hunter's words, Yaebi hadn't done anything notably criminal.

He sighed. _I have to go. Can't stay here if I want to avoid getting brought to jail. I just hope Raulyn and Drake will find Tristan here._

* * *

After having searched for a while, Raulyn and Drake returned to the node where the two separate hallways came together. When it became clear that neither Jack nor Tristan had returned, they quickly made their way down the left hallway, knowing that the mob had to be hiding there.

Eventually, they came across an injured Tristan. Jack was nowhere in sight.

Raulyn and Drake immediately went to help their comrade. A small stream of blood ran down his cheek, originating from his right temple. He was visibly dazed.

"Tristan," Raulyn said, alarmed. Drake grabbed the archer in order to prevent him from falling over. "Tristan. Are you…?"

Tristan grunted. "Jack has betrayed us."

Raulyn frowned. He shared a glance with Drake.

"He surprised me," Tristan went on. "Believed the mob to be innocent. We fought. He knocked me out. When I awoke, he was gone. For all we know, he may somehow be working with the mob now."

The chief Hunter cursed. "Gr… We should have expected this. He knew too little about mobs to be aware of the danger they pose." He paused, looking at Tristan. "No matter, now. We must make sure your wound will be treated. When you have recovered, we will see if we can track Snyder down. We also have to tell the citizens that we have a new threat to face."

He looked at the plains, the mountains and the entrance of the Silver Cave they just left, as if he were to find the renegade recruit then and there. When that didn't happen, he spoke once more, his quiet voice almost getting lost in the dark night that cast a shadow over the lands.

"Jack has gone rogue."

* * *

Little did the Hunters know that Yaebi had made it out of the cave before Jack. When Jack found the entrance, the mob was nowhere to be seen.

Knowing that returning to Ironhand was not an option, the young man had simply run away with the intention of hiding from his new enemies. His stamina ultimately reached its limit, causing him to pass out a large distance away from the now hostile village.

There, he had a dream he would not remember.


	5. Into hiding

**BaneOf12:** _Thank you! I hope future chapters will live up to your expectations._

* * *

 ** _Act 2: Nowhere_**

 _Chapter four: Into hiding_

Athena was sitting on a chair, her eyes bloodshot, her head in her hands. She'd been crying a lot the last few hours—and for a good reason.

It had been a day since her brother disappeared. The boy had gone out during the night to collect some food. Believing that it'd be perfectly safe outside—few humans came here anymore—he'd declined his friends' help.

There was no telling what had happened next. When Yaebi hadn't returned by morning, Ari had gone to investigate. Athena had wanted to go as well, but the sun hadn't allowed her to leave the safety of the mine. Ari had returned without the boy a while after, informing Athena and the others that Yaebi was nowhere to be found.

Feeling utterly powerless, Athena had all but broken down. The others had continued searching all day in nearby caves and other places where Yaebi might've taken shelter from the sun, but to no avail. And even then, they kept telling Athena that it wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't…

She heard voices approach her room. Ari and Cassandra. They sounded alarmed, and the former soon departed, leaving the latter to knock on Athena's door. Without waiting for an answer, Cassandra opened the door and looked at her friend.

"'Thena," Cassandra said. "Yaebi is back."

Athena didn't know what she was hearing. She stood up.

"He's exhausted," Cassandra continued as Athena approached the door in a fast pace, "but he'll be alright. He said he got ambushed by mob hunters when collecting food. Didn't want the humans to know where we lived, so he ran away."

"I need to see him," Athena said, walking through the door. Her usually calm voice was wavering—a result of the overwhelming emotions she'd been feeling for the past day.

"Ari's taking him to his room right now," Cassandra said. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

 **Half a day after Jack's betrayal; half a day before Athena and Yaebi's reunion**

Jack's eyes slowly opened, only to close again when the bright sun blinded him, prompting him to raise his hand to block the rays of light. His movements were groggy, his mind was filled with mist and cobwebs that slowed down his thoughts and kept his memories of what happened the other day from rising.

Realizing that lying there with his hand raised wasn't very comfortable, he reluctantly sat up and opened his eyes once more, this time intending to let them adjust to the light. They eventually did, after which he lowered his hand again and started thinking.

The memories hit him like a truck.

He remembered now: he'd beaten Tristan senseless, allowed a mob to go free, and fled from Ironhand. He didn't know for how long he'd been running or sleeping. Judging from the sun's current position, it appeared to be somewhere around noon.

He wasn't sure whether or not he regretted his decision; on one hand, he _did_ betray the Hunters—something he wasn't very proud of. But he couldn't've just let them capture that mob, could he? Unless they were right about the mobs being a threat…

 _No,_ a familiar voice within him said, _I can't start thinking like that. What I did was justified. That mob was a_ kid _. There was no reason why the Hunters wanted to arrest him aside from the fact that he was different._

With that in mind, he stood up—slow as ever—before looking around to see that he was currently in a forest. Through the trees, he could see a spot of clear water not too far ahead.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small, narrow, streaming river. Once he saw it, he swiftly proceeded to quench his ever-growing thirst. He could only hope that it was safe to drink from. Not that he had much of a choice; it was the only water source around.

When he was done drinking, he stood up, examining his surroundings once more and having the subject of food come to mind. The only problem here was that he didn't know where to look for it. He wasn't even sure where he was or which direction lead back to Ironhand. Of course, he wasn't planning on going back to the village anytime soon, but knowing where he had been going before losing consciousness might've been helpful. Somehow. Probably. Maybe.

He stretched and felt his entire body cracking. _Welp,_ he thought. _Better start walking._

He relaxed to the best of his ability, exhaled, and proceeded to walk deeper into the forest.

* * *

After wandering for what seemed to be about an hour or two, Jack sat down against a tree, making sure to stay in the shadow to avoid the sun's burning heat and blinding light. Feeling weakened, hungry and devoid of hope, he was once again starting to wonder how he'd ever gotten here and where 'here' even was.

He sighed. How was he ever going to get back? _Was_ there a way to get back?

 _Stop thinking like that. If there's a way to enter this world, there's got to be a way to get out of it, right? I can't lose hope. I can't just let myself die here._

Having recovered his determination for a little bit, he eventually stood up again. _I'm_ not _going to die here._

He kept going through the forest, the encouraging thoughts that echoed in his head feeding his willpower into ignoring the heat of the sun and the bleakness of his prospects. He walked for another two hours, decisively striding forward and looking around in search of the food that he so desperately needed. He managed to ignore the searing emptiness of his stomach by telling himself that it could only be helped if he continued. And continue he did, tirelessly.

He eventually came across a lake. The heat had caused his thirst to return, so he picked up his pace the moment the water became visible through the group of trees.

What he didn't realize at first, however, was that he wasn't alone.

Once he had passed the trees that stood between him and the lake, there was one last obstacle in the shape of an oddly familiar figure. That figure had the appearance of a tall female humanoid with a slender body, long flowing brown hair that reached her back, alarmed purple eyes and pitch-black clothing. The thing that stood out most, however, was that Jack recognized this person—just like how he'd recognized Yaebi in the Silver Cave.

 _Andr…?_

Before he had the chance to say anything, the girl—who he assumed was Andr, the 'endergirl'—flinched and vanished in a purple flash of light. Barely a second later, Jack felt a force strike the back of his head, knocking him to the floor. The air was forced out of his lungs when he hit the ground.

Despite the pain, he attempted to get back up. From the corner of his eye, he saw the tall being appear out of seemingly nowhere next to him. Another force impacted his side, causing his progress of getting back up to be erased and his body to be pushed against a tree.

 _Shit,_ he thought. _You idiot! How could you let yourself get caught off-guard like that? She's an enderman, you should've seen this coming._

He growled in pain and tried to stand up again, only to feel the same force on his back with the same result as it had before. His full body hit the ground. Dizziness was starting to set in.

That's when a voice was suddenly heard.

"S-stay down!" the voice—which sounded like it belonged to a frightened young woman—ordered, the authority in it being easily overwhelmed by its fear. "I-I'll f-fight you…!"

Jack closed his eyes and exhaled before looking up at the person who now stood in front of him. She fearfully returned his gaze.

"Seems to me like you already are," Jack gruffly deadpanned with a voice that was generated with difficulty.

A blush appeared on the girl's face. Her breathing quickened for a moment. "Wh…what! Y-you—!"

Jack mumbled something as he tried to stand up again. He failed, his lack of nourishment and the pain from Andr's attacks finally getting the better of him.

He fell back down and lost consciousness.

* * *

"Oh no, no no no no no, please don't tell me I killed him, please be alive! Oh no, please tell me you're okay, please tell me…"

Jack opened his eyes once more, slow as ever. "Wh…whuh?"

Subconsciously, he half expected the bright sun to blind him again. However, noticing that something was blocking it, he blinked a few times before fully opening his eyes. Dazed and disoriented, he stared straight into two purple ones, which backed up a bit when he saw them.

Even in his mentally weakened state, Jack could tell that the other pair of eyes had a mix of fear and relief—a combination he didn't expect to see from the endergirl who knocked him out a moment ago. In fact, he was surprised to see her here at all. Why'd she fight him, only to help him? And apparently worry about him? Weren't humans and mobs sworn enemies here? Why hadn't she just left him to die? Or even kill him herself?

Jack exhaled and suddenly realized that he was in a sitting position, his back leaning against a tree. He blinked and gave the endergirl—who was cautiously examining him—a dumb look.

"What happened?" he eventually asked, still a bit numb. He tried to stand up, only to fail as the pain and exhaustion returned, catching him off-guard. He immediately fell down again. "What happened?" he repeated.

The girl's face reddened. She looked down slightly. "Um…I, uh…knocked you out…?"

"Yeah, I got that," Jack dryly said after another failed attempt to get to his feet. "But after that, why'd you help me?"

The endergirl's eyes widened. "Wh-wha…! I couldn't just leave you to die!"

"I thought you _wanted_ me dead."

"I-I was defending myself!"

"I didn't even try anything before you knocked me senseless," Jack grumbled.

"I-well-I…uh…"

"Whatever, I get it," Jack reluctantly admitted, silencing the girl. "Humans and mobs are enemies, right?"

"R-right…"

"Okay…" For the third time, the young man tried to stand up. He succeeded this time, prompting the alarmed girl in front of him to back off more. He calmingly looked at her, meeting her eyes again. "Relax. I just need something to drink and eat."

Turning his attention to the lake, he groggily walked towards it, kneeled down and put his whole head underwater. He must've looked like an idiot doing it, but he couldn't care less about that. The water was too refreshing to _let_ him care.

When he was done, he threw his head backwards into the warm air, wiping the water from his eyes. He then looked back at the girl to see her giggle behind her hand. She stopped once he looked her way. Her amusement didn't bother Jack at all; if anything, he was just glad that she was still able to laugh. He reckoned that being hated by the majority of the human population could make you…humorless.

He stood up and calmly took a few steps towards the girl—who took another step backwards as a response.

"Name's Jack," Jack said, hoping that his introduction would remove some tension.

The endergirl blinked and blushed again. She hesitated.

"A-Andr," she finally said.


	6. Greenlight

**BaneOf12:** _Maybe, maybe not… Regardless, the romance isn't going to be any major aspect of the story in this episode. There'll be some hints in future chapters, though._

 **Skater1ooo:** _Thank you for your review. Please note that Jack isn't_ fully _aware of everything in the world, however. He recognizes the similarities to the game, but he also notices the differences—and those differences may leave him less knowledgeable on his situation. This may become more prominent in future episodes.  
About the romantic relationship—it won't be a major aspect of this episode (I've got sequel plans). Some hints will be dropped, but that's about it. Don't worry about anyone being indecisive here, though; like I said, there'll only be one.  
Thank you for your criticism._

* * *

 _Chapter five: Greenlight _

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, talking over his shoulder. Behind him walked Andr, who had insisted Jack take the lead—probably to give him an additional disadvantage if he were to try to attack her.

"Y-you said you needed something to eat," Andr timidly said. "I…know a place where there are some apple trees."

Jack perked up a bit and glanced back at her. "Apple trees?"

Andr nodded, blushing when their eyes met. They continued walking in silence.

"Hey, you're not the only mob around these parts, are you?" Jack eventually asked. "I was wondering…since most humans don't like mobs very much, don't you think it'd be safer if you just teamed up with someone and go somewhere the humans can't get to?"

"W-well…" Andr stammered. "H-hiding from the humans isn't very easy…"

"There has to be a place where they don't look, though."

The endergirl remained silent for a while, prompting Jack to take another glance over his shoulder. After briefly meeting Andr's eyes, he turned forward again, freezing when he realized that he was about to walk into a tree. He was just about to round the thing when something above him caught his eye.

He looked up at it to see a red sphere that made his heart—or, rather, his stomach—jump.

* * *

After Jack had completely eaten his hunger away, he proceeded to sit down on the ground, his back against a tree. Andr—who herself wasn't hungry—sat down a few meters in front of him. Jack saw her examine him with curiosity.

When Andr saw him look back, she shyly averted her gaze. Jack sighed inaudibly. It was kind of a weird thought that this girl—who possessed the power to teleport at will—was so shy. She was good at fighting, but having a conversation was a completely different story.

"So," Jack said after a while. "About my question from before…"

"A-actually…" Andr spoke, "there's…something else I'd like to talk about."

"What's that?"

She hesitated, stealing a glance from him. "Um…well…y-you."

"Me…?"

Andr nodded. "Y-you've been behaving…d-differently."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…n-not like most humans I've met."

"Oh, that," Jack said, his mood darkening again when he remembered how Tristan had reacted upon seeing Yaebi. "You're talking about the murderous anti-mob tendencies."

Andr swallowed. "Well…yeah. Though, I d-don't know if…y-you were sent to trick me into trusting you…o-or…"

"Right," Jack said, disappointed. "So to you, I'm either an exception or a spy."

A silence fell.

"Why _don't_ you work together with other mobs, really?" Jack asked. "There's got to be some place where the humans don't look—and even if there isn't, you'd still have strength in numbers."

The girl swallowed again, her nervousness returning. "I-I, uh…" She visibly hesitated. "…actually, I…um…" She fell silent.

Jack blinked. "What?"

"N-nothing…never mind."

"No, you were saying something."

"I— no, j-just…"

"You _are_ actually working with others…?"

"N-no! No, I-I-I just—" She stopped mid-sentence, her expression growing scared.

"You just…?" Jack prompted. "You know someone? Other mobs?"

"Wha- n-no, no I don't—" Her breathing became less steady. "N-no, s-stop! Stop!"

That plea, combined with Andr's defenseless look, persuaded Jack to silence himself. He just wanted answers, maybe some help with hiding from the human societies…but the support he'd be willing to give in return couldn't be given at all if he was left in the dark like this.

After a while of silence, Jack slowly stood up. "Let's just…talk about this later."

Andr didn't protest. She stood up as well and turned her gaze towards Jack, still too shy to meet his eyes.

"So…" Jack said, "where are we headed?"

The endergirl snapped her gaze back his way. "W-what?"

"What…?"

"W-what do you mean, 'we'…?"

"… We. We, as in—" Jack fell silent when he understood what she really meant. "… You want to part ways, don't you?" When there was no audible reply, he sighed. "You just wanted to help me stay alive…for a while. Alright, look; just leaving me here would defeat that purpose. I don't know how to survive out here. I haven't exactly been making myself popular among the locals. Most mobs will probably just kill me on sight. If you leave me here, I'll die one way or another."

Andr hesitated. She pensively blinked and opened her mouth a few times—as if to say something—only to close it again. Eventually, she let out a defeated sigh, closing her eyes as she did.

 _She looks kinda cute…_ Jack thought. He immediately gave himself a mental slap, despite realizing that he'd had that opinion even before he got transported to this world.

He then also remembered that he'd been looking into the eyes of an enderman— an ender _girl_ several times in the past few minutes and lived to tell the tale.

Andr finally seemed to have made her decision. She reopened her eyes. "A-alright…" she began. "Okay, then. I'll take you to my…current place."

"Thank you," Jack replied, relaxing a bit. He then frowned. "Your 'current' place?"

"My friend and I…have to move from time to time. T-to be safe."

"Your friend…?" The human tilted his head. "So you _do_ know someone."

It took a second for Andr to react, after which she gasped, her eyes widening. A stammer escaped her throat.

"Andr," Jack quickly said, caught off-guard by her reaction. "Calm down, will you?"

"I-I…" Her shoulders dropped. "I-I didn't mean to say that… I _shouldn't've_ said that."

"You're afraid that I'll try to kill your friend," Jack said, even though it was already quite obvious. "When we arrive at…wherever."

She silently nodded, avoiding the young man's gaze once more.

"It's not like I _can_ do anything, though," Jack reminded her. "If I actually were to try something, you'd just knock me senseless. Again."

Andr hesitated. "K-keep your hands on your back."

"What?"

"Keep your hands on your back," she patiently repeated. "I-if you attack my friend, I'll stop you."

Jack complied. It wasn't like he had a choice; Andr had beaten him before with ease. He put his hands on his back and aimed to keep them there. "Alright," he mumbled.

Andr pointed to the desired direction, and Jack started walking.

* * *

After an eventful walk with little talking, the two ended up at the entrance of a cave at the foot of a hill. It didn't look very large; from the outside, it seemed more like a room had sloppily been carved into the steep ground with a man-sized hole as a doorway.

Jack looked over his shoulder at Andr, who signaled to him to stop walking.

"N-now, just…" Andr pointed to a tree on the hill. "Stand next to that tree."

"Got it," Jack sighed as he followed her order. He walked up to the tree and leaned against it with his back, still looking at Andr.

"Face it!" Andr called.

Jack sighed again. "Yeah, yeah." He turned around.

The endergirl was smart; the tree's position allowed her to watch Jack while she was at the cave's entrance. She took necessary caution—even if it felt a little overdone at times—to protect herself and other mobs from a potential threat. It was a tad bit annoying, but understandable.

Jack heard Andr walk over to the entrance, her eyes burning into his back like needles. She then waited for a few moments before calling out to whoever was currently in the cave. "H-hey, Cupa! You in there?"

From the small cave, a second voice piped up. Jack could barely hear it until the owner came closer to the cave's entrance. It sounded like another girl—something Jack expected when Andr said that familiar name…

"-okay, Andr?" Cupa asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost. And I heard someone walking with you…?"

"Yeah…" Andr affirmed. "Cupa, I-I'd…like you to meet someone…"

A few seconds passed before Cupa's gasp was heard, almost making Jack flinch. He half expected to be stabbed in the back right after. That thought caused him to whirl around without thinking, allowing him to see the faces of both girls.

Cupa was shorter than Andr, and her clothing was completely green, the only exceptions being the brown gloves that covered her hands. Her hair and eyes were both amber in color. She looked shocked as she kept her gaze on Jack, who began to feel nervous as he realized that the little power he had over the situation had shrunk even more. If these mobs were going to try to harm him, he doubted there'd be anything he could do to defend himself.

Maybe going with Andr wasn't such a great idea after all…

"It's alright," Andr quickly said to Cupa, who Jack recognized as the creeper girl. "He seems friendly."

"He _seems_ friendly…" Cupa repeated. She looked even less comfortable than Jack felt. At least she didn't seem hostile. Just cautious.

"I-I saw him," Andr said, "and I just…couldn't leave him to die."

"What happened?" Cupa asked. "Where'd you find him?"

"A-at the lake, somewhere near the apple trees." She fidgeted a bit with her fingers. "I…kind of…"

"You kind of beat me up," Jack dryly said.

Andr briefly froze, then smiled sheepishly. "Heh heh…yeah, that."

Cupa still wasn't sure what to think of it. "And then you just…became friends?" she inquired.

"Well…" Andr looked to Jack. "H-he needed help, so…"

"So, you two fought. Then you helped him, and…" Cupa trailed off, searching for words to properly describe the situation. One thing was certain: she was confused.

"I was just as surprised as you are," Jack said to her.

"Y-you were hurt," Andr said to him. "I didn't know if you were going to die, I had to do something!"

"Right," Cupa said. "And when he woke up…"

"H-he needed to eat," Andr said.

"But why'd you bring him here?"

"H-he didn't have anywhere to go back to." She looked at the ground. "I didn't want to take the risk that he'd die."

"I don't know anything about surviving," Jack clarified for Cupa.

The creeper girl hesitated. She kept her conflicted gaze on Jack, who waited and hoped that she would allow him to sleep in the cave for a night. Having a roof above his head was something he'd really appreciate.

Eventually, Cupa sighed. "Alright, get in the cave. We'll decide how things are going to go."

* * *

The trio sat on the ground. Cupa had offered them some food, but both of them had declined. Jack still felt the apples weigh on his stomach.

"So…" Cupa spoke after a while. She looked at Jack, her face betraying no specific emotion. "What's your name? And your story?"

"My name's Jack. As for my story…I'd tell you, but you'd think it's crazy."

Cupa shrugged. "Sounds interesting. If you don't mind telling us…"

"… Okay, why not." Jack sat up straight. "To put it simply, I'm…not from around here. Yesterday, I woke up in a village with no idea how I got there." He decided to leave the whole 'other world'-thing for another time.

"Which village?" Cupa asked.

"It's called Ironhand."

"Oh…yeah…" Cupa and Andr shared a look. "We've heard of it."

"They caused you trouble, huh?"

"Ironhand is known for its Hunters. As in Ironhand Hunters—a bunch of fighters who like to hunt mobs. People say that it used to be a huge group. That became less and less over time, but it inspired other villages and cities to get their own anti-mob forces. Ironhand itself may only have three Hunters left, but those three are pretty well-known.

That made Jack feel uncomfortable. He had almost joined one of the most infamous mob hunter groups in the Overworld. It made him feel sick. "Right," he said, "well, in any case, they welcomed me, and I…" He trailed off.

"You…?"

The young man hesitated. "I…tried to join the Hunters," he finally said in a quiet voice.

A silence fell.

"What happened next?" Andr spoke.

"You're not still with them, are you?" Cupa asked in an alarmed voice.

Jack shook his head. "No…" he said, "no, I'm not." He looked at the ground. "I…rebelled."

"You rebelled?" the creeper girl echoed, sounding skeptical.

"A mob was sighted," Jack explained. "In a cave near the village. I went there with the three others. We had to split up at some point. When I found the mob, my…colleague…tried to capture him. That's when I started fighting, and the mob escaped. I ran away too, and now here I am." He slightly looked up at them. "I didn't know how mobs really were until I met the one in that cave. I was told they were…not good…but I've had a bit of a change of opinion."

Another brief silence, this time broken by Cupa. "Alright…in any other case, I would've been skeptic about that story. I still am, but everything I've seen about you so far says it's true. You don't dress or act like the humans here. Of course, this could be a trap, but I'm willing to take that chance for now. Sort of."

Jack looked up at her in surprise. "You actually believe me?"

"Sort of," Cupa repeated. "You're not going to like this, but…look, I _want_ to trust you, but I can't. You understand, right?"

"What are you saying?" Jack asked, feeling nervous yet again.

The creeper glanced at Andr. "Nothing too overly secure. Though I'm afraid that Andr's going to have to keep watch tonight."


	7. On the move

**BaneOf12:** _Thank you! I'll do my best with Andr's personality, though the shyness will remain a part of it. I might, however, add something to an upcoming chapter that digs a little deeper in how she looks at certain things…_

 **Cyberdux:** _I'm really glad to hear you like it! I do hope future chapters will live up to your expectations.  
Also, good luck with your stories. Putting ideas on paper can be a pretty gratifying experience (as well as a little addicting)._

 **From this point onward, certain plot things may happen a little fast. That's not because I want to rush this story; it's because I don't want to drag anything out.**

* * *

 _Chapter six: On the move_

Athena's attention was drawn by the door on the other side of the room opening. She looked up from the makeshift conference table that stood before her.

Yaebi stood in the doorway, looking back at her, his eyes betraying his lingering tiredness. At least he looked calmer than before. Athena quickly stood up and walked over to her brother, who met her halfway the conference room.

"Yaebi…" Athena softly said as she and Yaebi shared a brief hug. "How are you doing?"

Yaebi nodded. "Better," he said, sounding a little drowsy.

"You sure?" Athena asked. "You got ambushed, you ran away, you met mob hunters, you ran all the way back…"

"It was just one mob hunter, actually," Yaebi meekly corrected her. The other guy had defended him; calling him a mob hunter would be inappropriate.

"Right…" Athena paused. "I-I thought I lost you, Yaebi…"

The boy looked to the ground, saying nothing. What was he _supposed_ to say to that?

It didn't matter. He was here, back at his home. The cave in the mountains. The mineshaft he thought he'd never see again was providing him shelter once more. And this time, he wasn't just going to leave it.

Unless, of course, there'd be no other option…

* * *

 _There is no fighting_ him _on my own._

 _I need assistance._

 _The one who already stands by my side will not be enough._

 _Please—forgive me for having done this to you._

 _But by destroying your life, I have saved all those of the Overworld._

* * *

Jack woke up to light shining into the opening of the cave, briefly blinding him as the stone walls resolutely reflected it around. Once his eyes were adjusted, he examined the room he was in. It didn't take long for him to remember where he was and what happened the day before.

He looked to the other side of the cave to see Cupa in a deep sleep on her makeshift bed of wool, hay and dirt. Next to her sat Andr on a stone, fully awake, leaning against the wall with her back.

Jack had been told that one of Andr's mob abilities enabled her to stay awake and alert for much longer than humans. She'd used this power to make sure Jack—or any other human who might come along—didn't try anything that night.

Jack sat up in his bed and, without thinking, looked Andr in the eyes, causing the endergirl to blush and look away. Jack frowned but decided to avert his gaze as well—if only to try to make Andr feel less uncomfortable. They sat there for a while in silence until Cupa woke up a few minutes later.

After getting ready for the day, the decision to search for another hideout was made. Fortunately, Jack was allowed to come along as well; apparently, Andr still didn't want to risk him dying, and Cupa didn't seem to mind the human's company too much.

For safety measures, Jack had to walk in the front with a safe amount of distance between him and the girls. Meanwhile, said girls would give him directions about where to go. Seeing how kind they'd been in spite of Jack's history with the Hunters, the young man was fine with this for the most part. Sort of. He still didn't enjoy being treated like he was a danger to everyone.

At least it wasn't as warm as it had been the day before: the sun was obscured by gray clouds, and the wind was a bit more active. It felt quite refreshing.

They eventually ended up in an area with far less trees, which they only agreed to explore after having taken some apples for later. The part of the area they were in was flat, but a collection of steep mountains was visible in the distance. Waterfalls originated from their sides, falling into lakes and rivers that lay below. Cave entrances could be seen in the walls.

"Shame," Cupa commented as she looked at the mountains. "Would've loved to see this in the sun." She looked at the clouded sky. "Now it just looks…kind of gloomy."

"Still looks kind of pretty, though," Andr said. "Besides, those caves look promising. Maybe we can find a hideout here."

"Only one way to find out."

As they moved towards the mountains to investigate, more gray clouds gathered above them, and the wind increased in strength. Jack didn't pay it much mind at first; it wasn't anything unusual.

When the trio came closer to their destination, a brief cry caught Jack's attention. It wasn't too loud, but it was enough to startle him. He whirled around to see Andr clutching her hand, her jaw clenched as if in pain, her alarmed eyes looking up at the sky.

Jack felt a raindrop land on his shoulder.

Putting two and two together, Jack realized that Andr was in danger here; apparently, endermen really were harmed by water, meaning Andr would need cover if she wanted to stay alive.

Jack quickly looked around and saw a single tree standing nearby. Its many leaves seemed enough to protect whoever stood under them from the rain for at least a little while, but, depending on how bad the weather was going to be, it might not keep Andr out of harm's way for long. Still, it was the only thing they had.

He looked back at the duo, hollered and pointed to the tree. The endergirl's reaction was immediate; in the blink of an eye, a purple glow enveloped her, and she disappeared. Jack looked to the tree to see her standing under it, right when more rain started to fall down.

He ran towards her. Cupa quickly followed.

"This isn't going to keep you safe for long," Cupa said to Andr. "If the weather's going to get worse…"

"It probably is," Jack said as he looked at the sky, which was turning darker by the second. "We have to move." He turned his gaze to the mountains. "Andr, can you teleport to those mountains? I think there are caves there."

Andr nodded, looking oddly calm and focused. She was probably used to these situations. She held out her hand for someone to take.

"Jack," Cupa immediately said, "grab her hand."

"What?" Jack asked. "Why?"

"She'll take us there with her."

 _She can do that?_ Jack looked back at Andr's hand, which Cupa had already grabbed. Jack immediately put his hand on Andr's wrist, realizing that he was about to be teleported by an enderman.

That thought made him…nervous.

He could barely see the blush that appeared on Andr's face before a sudden purple flash blinded him, making his head spin.

He lost consciousness soon after.

* * *

"Calm down, Andr. He's alright. You remember what happened to me when I first got teleported, don't you? And I'm fine."

"But he's human…"

"I don't think that matters much."

"W-what if it does?"

"Andr, it's alright. He's still breathing."

"…"

"Oi," Jack lethargically muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Jack?" Andr exclaimed, sounding relieved.

"I'm fine…" the human mumbled in response. "Just dizzy… My head's all weird…"

"I know the feeling," Cupa voiced. "You're going to be alright, though; my dizziness wore off after about an hour when I first teleported."

"I…still should've warned you about it beforehand," Andr softly said. "S-sorry."

"We were in a pretty urgent situation," Jack drawled. "Don't apologize." He cracked one eye open. "How come you're not…unconscious…?"

"Andr's been immune for all her life," Cupa explained. "As for me, I've been teleported more times than I can count, and the side-effects have been getting weaker as a result."

"Huh…" Jack closed the eye again. He tried to move, but his tired body wasn't very responsive. "Grr…we've got to move…"

"You've got to get some rest before that," Cupa replied—earning a grunt of disagreement from the human—before turning to Andr. "You see, Andr? He's fine."

"Yeah…" Andr said, though she still didn't seem completely reassured. "Uh…if you say so…?"

"Really, don't worry," Cupa said. "He breathes, he talks… He even woke up earlier than I did after my first time. That's a good sign, right?"

"I…I guess…"

Cupa sat down next to her friend. "Look," she softly whispered, making sure the half-conscious Jack wouldn't hear her, "he'll be alright. There's nothing to worry about. We expected this to happen. I'm sure it won't be long before he's on his feet again. Why're you so worried?"

"I don't know. I just…worry. He's from elsewhere, so I thought maybe he…" She trailed off. "Besides, I was worried when you blacked out, so…"

"Yes, but we're pretty sure this is normal now. And I doubt Jack's place of origin will influence the effects on him in any way." Cupa let out a chuckle. "It's a perfect defense strategy for when humans attack. We've proven that several times."

"I…suppose… But Jack didn't attack us."

"That's true, but I don't know how much he likes rain." Cupa glanced outside—where the rainfall had turned into a downpour—before looking at the sleeping Jack. "He seems like a good guy. I just hope he won't turn out to be a…spy."

* * *

Jack's eyes reopened approximately half an hour later—much to Andr's relief—and it didn't take long before he groggily stood up, leaning against the stone wall for balance. He let out a shivering noise. His jacket obviously wasn't enough to keep the cold at bay.

He looked at the girls, who, oddly enough, seemed to be less affected by the low temperature. Granted, they shivered as well, but not as much. They were probably used to it, which gave Jack more of an idea of how _cold_ a mob's life could be. It made him shiver even more.

"Maybe we should explore the cave," Cupa suggested. "We might find some torches or lava to warm us."

"Or we might find hypothermia," Jack said. "You think it's worth the risk?"

"Can't be much worse than here, right?"

"I doubt that."

"If we stay here, we're definitely going to freeze."

"True," Jack admitted. "But how are we going to see in the dark?"

Cupa looked at Andr and smiled teasingly. "Andr's eyes are adapted to the dark. All you need to do is hold her hand."

"Right," Jack mumbled before realizing what Cupa meant. He himself wasn't too embarrassed by the joke, but from the corner of his eye, he saw that Andr's face had gone a little redder.

"Er…" Andr suddenly blurted out. "Um…I-I thought we didn't…trust…" She trailed off.

 _Is she just saying that so she won't have to hold my hand, or because she's still scared of me?_ Jack wondered. He didn't give it too much thought. Knowing Andr, both reasons were possible.

"Alright," Cupa voiced, still smirking a bit. "What do you say we do?"

"We'll just do it like we did back there," Jack said, gesturing to the outside with his head. "You'll give me directions."

"I don't think that's a good plan," Cupa said. "It can be risky in the caves. With that distance between us, we might not be able to help you quickly enough if there's danger ahead."

"Danger?"

"Deep pits, usually."

"Hey…" Andr spoke up. "If Jack can't see, how could he…attack us?"

"That's a good point," Cupa pensively said. "His eyes _can_ adjust to the darkness, but we _do_ have the advantage with your teleportation."

Jack huffed. "Right," he mumbled. "Right…the 'advantage'…" The girls looked at him, causing him to sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just not comfortable with being talked about like I'm trying to kill everybody. Honestly, do you really believe that the Hunters would go through all the trouble of teaching me how to talk and behave differently, just to kill two mobs?"

Cupa frowned. "From what I've heard, they're willing to go pretty far to kill _one_ mob."

"But I haven't even been _trying_ anything!" Jack argued, growing impatient. "I haven't been trying to contact any human villages or whatever. And if I really believed that mobs were evil, I'd have stayed in Ironhand. No one there believes you wouldn't kill me on sight. Why would the Hunters send me as a spy if they think I'd die instantly?"

"You _know_ why we can't take any risks," Cupa replied, keeping her voice as calm and neutral as she could. "You said that you weren't from around here. For all we know, you came from someplace where mobs are hunted just as badly as here."

Jack let out an exasperated sigh. A silence followed, with the human bitterly staring at the ceiling.

After a while, he sighed again—albeit in a calmer manner—and turned to the deeper part of the cave. "Whatever. Just say what we're going to do, and we'll do it." _It's not like I'll have a voice in the matter anyway._

"I say we…walk right behind him?" Cupa softly suggested to Andr after another moment of tense silence. She looked at Jack again. "We'll give you directions, and we'll be able to help if you get into trouble."

"Fine," Jack tonelessly said. "Just don't expect me to walk in a straight line. I'm still dizzy."

And so it was done: Jack once again walked in front of the two others, his hands behind his back. He was closely followed by Andr, who told him where to go. Cupa walked right next to her.

It went well—partly thanks to the distance between Jack and the girls being a lot smaller than outside. It would've made conversations easier if it weren't for Jack's unwillingness to talk. How in the world—or worlds, seeing how there were apparently more of those than he used to think—was he going to convince the mobs that he didn't have any bad intentions?

"What _are_ mobs, exactly?" he asked at some point. "Everyone keeps talking about mobs like they're not human, but you seem pretty human to me."

Cupa and Andr glanced at each other.

"We just kind of…are," Cupa eventually said. "Like humans, mobs have lived in the Overworld for as long as we can remember. People say that it was after the fall of the Kingdom that the fight between humans and mobs really began. Or that the fall happened _because_ of the fight. All we really know is that mobs _look_ human, but we really aren't."

"Why? Because you have powers?"

"That's…the main reason, I'd say," Cupa affirmed. "We've got inborn powers we inherit from our parents. Though people say that a human and a mob _can_ get children."

Jack blinked. "Really? So their kids are…half-mob?"

"I think so. Last time something like that happened was during the Kingdom era. At least, that's _believed_ to be the case." She paused. "Some say that the first mobs didn't look human at all, but I don't think there's a lot of evidence for that. Even so, some people take it a step further and say that the _current_ mobs are actually half human.

"Regardless, everyone seems to have developed some kind of sixth sense that tells them if they're looking at a mob or a human." Cupa subconsciously played with a strand of her hair. "Even if a mob doesn't have 'inhuman' hair or eye colors—which some mobs do have—most people can easily tell what they are, somehow."

"Huh…" Jack mumbled. _Interesting._

Behind his back, Andr and Cupa shared another glance. Evidently, Jack not knowing these things weirded them out.

"So, why don't you work together with other mobs?" Jack suddenly asked.

"… Why're you asking?" Cupa asked. Jack wasn't sure if that was suspicion or caution he heard in her voice.

"Because I really don't understand why you don't just…team up with someone," the human said. "Strength in numbers and all that."

"Alright…I suppose we can tell you that." Cupa paused, still hesitating a bit. "We don't meet a lot of mobs out there; they stay hidden. It's usually just humans—most of which either run away or try to kill us first chance they get."

"How long have you two been a team, then?"

Behind his back, both girls smiled. "Long," Cupa said. "Very long. Andr usually does most of the fighting, though."

"I can see why," Jack dryly said.

"Yeah…" Andr meekly said. "Um…sorry about…you know…the thing at the lake. I didn't mean to hurt you so badly."

"It's alright," Jack reassured. "I didn't mean to sound like I'm holding that against you." He paused. "Though maybe you should've used those teleportation side-effects as your weapon."

"You would've been out for a lot longer if I had…" Andr said. "And you wouldn't be here with us now. So…it's good that I didn't, right?"

"True."

They turned a corner to the left. Andr groaned softly. "There are three ways we can go," she said. "I have no clue what'll be waiting for us."

"A crossroad, huh…" Jack mumbled.

"Suppose we're just going to have to choose at random," Cupa said.

"I say we go right," Jack voiced after a while of silence. "Not sure why. Right is always the right way, I guess."

"I don't see why not," Cupa said. "Andr?"

"Y-yeah," Andr affirmed. "Okay…let's go right. The crossroad's not far ahead of us, now."

"Got it," Jack said.

He took a few steps forward into the darkness ahead. Then, something to his right suddenly caught his eye. He looked over and was surprised to see a spot of light in the far distance. It appeared to be at the very end of the dark hallway, too far for him to see any other features aside from the light itself.

"Light," he informed the others. "Right hallway, far end."

"H-humans?" Andr asked, sounding worried.

That was something to watch out for. Jack squinted. "Not sure. Can't see much."

"There aren't any," Cupa calmly said. "I'd have heard them by now if they were there."

Jack frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Part of me being a mob," Cupa clarified. "Sensitive ears."

 _Right,_ Jack thought. _She's a creeper—an expert at stealth. Guess that has something to do with it._

Before long, the trio had made it to the end of the hallway, where they entered a room with several more hallways connected to it. It seemed to be a mine, lit with glowstone lamps that hung at the walls. The other hallways had wooden pillars to keep the ceiling from falling down. Rails were placed on the floor for quick transportation of minecarts. Numerous resources were embedded in the stone walls—one of which appeared like a light blue gem…

"Abandoned mineshaft…" Jack mumbled under his breath. He hesitated, then turned to the girls. "Hey, now that I can see again, what're we going to do? Back to the first security measures, I suppose?"

The girls' expressions turned hesitant as well.

"I, ah, feel like I should apologize," Jack said as he briefly glanced at the ground. "I was kind of an asshole back at the entrance—and through pretty much half of the cave. I know that your experiences with humans are bad and all, and I shouldn't've expected you to trust me just like that."

"Don't apologize," Cupa said. "We _did_ kind of treat you like a prisoner the whole time."

"No," Jack calmly yet firmly said. "Unlike me, you know everything about how these things go in this world. I realized that, but I didn't consider it. I should've."

"Don't worry about it." Cupa hesitated, but eventually mustered up the courage to give Jack's shoulder a light, friendly slap. She then looked at Andr.

Andr glanced at her, then looked back at Jack with a confused expression. "This…world?" she repeated.

It was then that Jack realized that he'd made a mistake. Trying not to look fazed, he immediately prepared to correct himself.

"Jack," Cupa suddenly whispered. She looked alarmed. "Humans."

Jack froze.

"They're about to round the corner behind you," the creeper girl whispered as she and Andr moved away from the hallway entrance, which was situated just behind Jack. "Hide."

Jack was about to do so, only to feel an odd hesitation rise in his gut. Humans…

If he and the mobs were to flee now, they'd lose their chance to find a hideout here. That could be quite problematic—especially if it still rained outside. Was there no other option?

"Jack…!" Andr whispered through her teeth.

"Wait," Jack quietly said. "I'm human. I can distract them."

"What?" Cupa mouthed.

"Hide," Jack said. "I'll try to lead them away. We won't have to run."

"What if they attack you?!" Cupa asked.

"I'll flee. Andr, be ready to teleport out of here in case things go south."

"I-I'm not leaving without you…!" Andr said.

"Then be ready to grab me and teleport out of here." Jack turned to the hallway.

Andr reached for the human, but Cupa stopped her. "Let him try it," the creeper said. "Just be ready to get him out of trouble if necessary."

Andr hesitated, but she eventually backed away.

Cupa turned to Jack. "Be careful."

Jack nodded and took a step into the hallway.

He wasn't caught too off-guard when five figures rounded the corner ahead, their footsteps making almost no sound. How did Cupa hear them from so far away? And how was she able to endure loud noises with such sensitive ears?

The five figures froze upon seeing Jack.

Jack froze too. He was fairly sure that those people weren't human.

The figure in front—someone who looked quite familiar, yet different—swiftly grabbed an arrow from a small quiver and put it on her bow. Instead of aiming it at Jack's head, however, she held the arrow towards the human's leg—something said human was oddly thankful for.

Something else he was thankful for was that the pale-skinned skeleton girl before him actually wore a t-shirt underneath her small vest, covering her abdomen to a far more acceptable extent compared to what Jack had seen on his computer.

Jack identified the two girls at the skeleton's right as the spider and the cave spider, with both of them sharing the same purple hair and red eyes. The taller one—the 'regular' spider—wore gray clothing, and her hair, which appeared to be tied in a ponytail, reached her back.

The smaller one—the cave variant—had shorter hair, which was tied in two much smaller ponytails. Her clothing was more teal in color.

On the skeleton's other side, two more figures could be seen; a boy and a girl, each about as old and tall as the cave spider. The girl was dressed in silverfish gray.

The boy wore a familiar dark green.

Yaebi.

Judging from the boy's shocked expression, he recognized Jack as well.

The skeleton was still threatening Jack with her bow and arrow. The gaze on her face wasn't necessarily malevolent, but Jack wasn't sure if that meant much.

"Human," the skeleton spoke. Her calm voice held as little hostility as her facial expression. It even had a kind of politeness to it. Still, the way she said that word held a warning undertone.

"Wait, I know him!" Yaebi suddenly intervened. "He's the guy! The guy I told you about!"

"What, your friend from Ironhand?" the cave spider asked, frowning. She turned her gaze to Jack. "He doesn't look like much."

Her older counterpart let out a chuckle. "Cass, be nice," she reprimanded.

A gentle yet firm hand suddenly made its way onto Jack's shoulder. Jack took a glance to his side; Andr was standing practically next to him. Her hands were shaking, but she resolutely kept her gaze on the opposing group. Cupa stood at her side.

"Put that bow down," Andr ordered.

The skeleton's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing the two mobs behind Jack. The other four reacted similarly, their confusion soon becoming clear on their faces.

A silence fell.


	8. Confidence

**Originally, this chapter was longer, but it contained an important event that might've made it seem a bit rushed. That's why I'm leaving that event for chapter eight.**

* * *

 _Chapter seven: Confidence_

"So, let me get this straight…" the skeleton—her name was Athena—said. She looked at Andr. "You found him wandering around somewhere, knocked him out, brought him to your hideout…and became friends with him?"

After quickly establishing a truce, the cave mobs had led Jack, Andr and Cupa to the mineshaft's 'conference room'. Seats consisted of hay, wool and wood, and a makeshift stone table stood in the middle of the room. Jack had received 'orders' to sit a bit farther away from the mobs, which he had reluctantly followed.

"Yeah…" Andr said. "T-that sounds about right… But he never attacked or anything, and I didn't want to let him die…"

"And you know he won't backstab you…how?" Cassandra—the cave spider—asked as she narrowed her eyes at Jack.

"He saved me from that mob hunter!" Yaebi cut in. "That's gotta be worth something."

Athena hesitated as she eyed Jack. "You're…not from around here, are you, Jack?" she asked.

"It's that obvious, huh?" Jack said.

"You talk and dress like a mob," Athena explained. "No human we know about would do that."

"Right."

"But we still can't have you running around here freely, I'm afraid."

Yaebi gave his sister an incredulous look. "What…!"

"No, I understand," Jack sighed. "I'm still human, I could be leading you into a trap, I could be a spy, et cetera." He glanced at Andr and Cupa, both of which nodded back with a mix of approval and gratitude.

The spider—Ari—grinned. "He doesn't seem that bad," she noted in a relaxed voice.

"That doesn't mean he _isn't_ bad," Cassandra—who was apparently Ari's younger sister—grumbled.

"At least he doesn't yell insults at us whenever he gets the chance. Unlike most humans we come across."

"In any case," Athena spoke up, looking at Jack again, "I'm glad you understand…but I don't really know what to do. We could let someone go with you all the time, but that's…still risky."

"And we've got better things to do anyway," Cassandra added. Athena ignored her.

The skeleton girl sighed. "I'm afraid that we're going to have to…lock you up."

An exasperated sigh escaped Jack's lips as he let his shoulders hang, his impatience getting the better of him once more. "For goodness—…I understand caution, but this is going way too far."

"I'm sorry. But we can't risk anything right now." Athena looked around. "Anyone else got anything to say?"

"Yeah," Yaebi said. "I don't really get why we're locking him up in the first place. I mean, he saved my life!"

"Look, Yaeb—"

"He's dangerous," Cassandra interrupted. "Yes, he saved you, but what if he just wants to gain our trust so he can have the humans kill us all at once?"

"But…" Yaebi began.

"Yaebi, you've got to trust us on this," Athena gently said.

"This isn't how humans hunt us!" Yaebi objected. "They don't use spies. They think we kill or capture every human we see, so sending a spy would be useless, right?"

Jack was surprised at Yaebi's words. The boy, despite barely knowing the human, seemed to trust him completely.

"Well, maybe they got smart for once," Cassandra said. "Or this guy gave them the idea. Maybe that's how they do things at…wherever he's from." She looked at Jack. "Where _are_ you from, anyway?"

"A galaxy far, far away," Jack replied. He didn't even have to lie.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Very funny." She turned back to Yaebi. "Point is, we don't know what he's going to try now. All we can do is wait and see."

"In the meantime," Athena said as she rose from her seat, "Jack, I need you to…well…go to your room. Ari?"

"On it," Ari sighed as she, too, stood up and turned to Jack. "Alright, Jack, let's go."

* * *

"Here you go," Ari said as she lead Jack to a door. Behind it was a small room, containing a bed and a chair.

Jack entered the room and looked around. "Huh. Cozy."

Ari looked at him from behind. "Hey, Jack, can I ask you something?"

Jack turned to her. "What is it?"

"Where are you from, exactly?" Ari asked after a moment of silence. "Where were you born?"

"Not around here."

"You told us that much. But what's the _name_ of your place of birth?"

Jack hesitated. "You wouldn't recognize it."

"I know. But I'd still like to hear it, if you don't mind telling me."

Jack inhaled. "Well, for starters…you ever heard of the States?"

A small smile tugged at Ari's lips. "Nope. Can't say I have."

"Then you don't know it."

"You said the _States_ …" Ari continued, much to Jack's dismay. "I didn't know there were still countries in the Overworld."

"Like I said…" Jack tonelessly spoke.

Ari smiled again. "Right. Sorry to bother you about it. I'm just curious, is all."

"It's fine."

Thankfully, she didn't ask anything else after that. She simply gave a nod and closed the door, which was audibly locked shortly after. She then walked away, her footsteps becoming gradually softer.

When Ari was gone, Jack sat down on the chair, sighing. Great. This was fun…

Shortly after that, he heard another pair of footsteps approach. They stopped at his room, and he heard a knock a moment later.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Jack?" Athena's voice said from behind the door.

"That's my name."

"Thank you…"

Jack frowned. Athena sounded a bit more emotional than she had in the conference room.

"Thank you," Athena repeated, "for saving my little brother."

Before Jack had the chance to reply, the skeleton proceeded to walk away. She was gone as soon as she'd appeared.

* * *

The next three days were uneventful; Jack just sat on his bed in the room the mobs had brought him to, doing nothing that could be considered special or exciting. He talked with whoever came by to see him—mostly Cupa and Andr—and killed time whenever and however he could.

The door to this room was locked, and the keys were in possession of some of the mobs. Jack didn't know who had one and who didn't, but trying to find that out was probably not a good idea. It'd just backfire, damaging the little trust he'd gained from the mobs so far.

He knew that in order to get the mobs' _full_ trust, he needed patience. Being locked inside a room didn't exactly help him with that, though. If anything, it made him fear for his life. He trusted Andr and Cupa more than anyone else in this world—which, to put it bluntly, wasn't saying too much—but would they be able and willing to stop Athena if she came to shoot an arrow through his head?

Such thoughts made his nights in the room sleepless—if he really did sleep _at night_ , that was. Telling time was difficult. One of the mobs usually came by to inform him when it became night, but whether they were reliable sources of information or not was uncertain. They didn't seem like bad guys to him, but, like Cassandra had implied, appearances could be deceiving.

A part of him was thankful; if it wasn't for the constant fear, his mind would wander towards his family again. It had been about a week since he got transported to the Overworld, and he was pretty sure that the actual realization of being taken from his home was yet to come to him. He wanted to return to his own world before that happened.

He started when the familiar noise of a key being turned in a lock rang out from the room's entrance. The door swung open. Jack felt nervousness rise as he stood up to meet the person behind it.

It was Andr.

"Hey," she meekly greeted. "Um…can I come in…?"

"Sure," Jack said, feeling relieved.

"Thanks." Andr entered the room—she had to bend down a little to get through the small doorway—and locked the door behind her.

"Do you _have_ to lock the door?" Jack asked. "Actually, don't answer that."

"Sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize," Jack said. "It's protocol, I get that. I'm just getting a little on edge in here."

Andr visibly hesitated. "Hey Jack…can I ask you something personal?"

"Depends on the question."

She hesitated again, not meeting his gaze. "A-actually…never mind."

"Now I'm even more curious." Jack gestured to the chair. "Why don't you just have a seat, take a breath and tell me what's on your mind."

Andr did just that. As she slowly sat down on the chair, Jack felt pleasantly surprised; he'd half expected Andr to refuse, if only because she was still afraid of him. It looked like progress had been made after all.

Jack patiently waited for Andr to mentally prepare herself. When she was, she had an oddly serene look on her face—one Jack hadn't seen from her before.

"How…" Andr finally spoke. "H-how do you stay so confident?"

"Confident? What do you mean?"

"Cupa and I know what happened," Andr said. "T-the thing with the Hunters."

"Oh, that." Jack shrugged. "Eh. I've had martial arts lessons. They say that helps boost your confidence."

"Jack. You stood up to a _Hunter_. For the sake of a _mob_. Yaebi says you barely even hesitated. This whole time I've known you, you've been acting so confidently." She looked to the ground. "Me…I-I can't even look someone in the eye…"

Jack was caught a little off-guard by that. He hadn't considered the possibility that Andr's shyness might originate from a lack of self-confidence. He'd assumed it was an innate thing; she was an enderman, after all.

After once again cursing himself for looking at Minecraft for answers, he thought about what to say in response. He didn't need much time.

"Yes," he said, "I helped a mob. Yes, I had to fight a human for it. Yes, I had to give up any possibility of getting a career in Ironhand. Now let's look at you."

Andr looked up at him. "M-me?"

"Yes, you," Jack said. "You helped a _human_. You went out of your way to make sure he stayed alive. You brought him to your hideout and let him rest there—all the while taking the risk of him turning against you. Everyone here seems to think of me as some kind of hero because I helped Yaebi, but the things you did for me were at least as heroic. Consider that before you start reprimanding yourself for not being able to look other people in the eye."

Andr just looked at him. Judging from her expression, she hadn't expected to hear anything like that. She probably hadn't even considered any of the things Jack just told her. She looked as if a whole new world just opened up to her.

But more than that, she finally looked Jack straight in the eye. She probably wasn't even realizing it.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. Andr started and turned her gaze to it. Jack did the same, albeit in a calmer manner.

"Hello?" Ari's voice asked from beyond the door. "Jack? You there?"

"What do you think…" Jack grumbled.

Ari let out a chuckle. "The others thought we should allow you and your friends to help with some chores—and frankly, I agree."

"Tell me more."

"I thought you'd be interested," Ari said. "Mind if I open the door?"

"Go ahead."

Andr gently grabbed Jack's arm, prompting the human to look at her again.

"I-I'll see you in a bit," the endergirl quietly said. Then, she teleported away.


	9. Blessing in disguise

_Chapter eight: Blessing in disguise_

Ari led Jack outside through one of the many cave entrances, where they met Cupa, Andr and Sylvia sitting next to a pile of baskets. Andr gave Jack a subtle glance and a brief smile.

Ari picked up a basket from the pile and held it out for Jack to take. "You're going to go with those three"—she nodded to the three other mobs—"to that forest there. Place is full of apple trees, and we're running a little low on food. Be careful, though; Yaebi got ambushed last time he went to collect supplies, so make sure to keep an eye out."

"Say no more," Jack sighed as he took the basket.

"Hey Sis!" Cassandra's voice called from the cave entrance. "What's taking so long? You have some work to do yourself, you know!"

"Gotta go," Ari said. "Coming, Cass!"

And with that, she was gone.

Jack looked at the other three, all of whom had taken a basket of their own and now seemed ready to follow him to the forest. Sylvia seemed nervous as she looked at him. Not unexpected.

"Let's go, then," Jack said.

It took about ten to twenty minutes for the group to arrive at the forest. For security measures, Jack was still in front, but the distance between him and the girls was much smaller than before. This allowed him to hear the others easily whenever they talked. He himself mostly remained silent.

Sylvia didn't talk a lot, either. She hadn't been talking at all in Jack's presence, though the human knew for a fact that she wasn't mute or anything; Andr and Cupa had mentioned having conversations with her. They said she was nice, but she was apparently scared of Jack thanks to his status as a human. He didn't blame her.

Once they were at the trees, Jack soon noticed one problem: these apples hung much higher than the ones in the forest he'd been to with Andr. Even the endergirl herself wasn't tall enough to reach them.

"Looks like we're going to have to climb," Jack said. He put his basket on the ground, ran up to a tree, grasped a branch and started to climb it. Doing so wasn't very difficult; the tree had plenty of branches to hold onto.

"Hey Jack," Cupa smiled, "I thought you said you didn't know anything about surviving. Yet here you are, climbing a tree like it's nothing."

"Not _everything_ from my place of origin is automated," Jack grunted once he found his balance on a thick branch. "I'm still competent enough to climb a tree. Can someone hand me a basket, please? And some help with collecting these apples would be welcome, too."

"Leave that to me," Cupa said as she swiftly made her own way into a tree, her basket still in hand.

Jack took the basket Andr offered to him and proceeded to fill it with apples, glancing towards Cupa from time to time to see how far she was. She turned out to be notably faster than him, and her basket was soon filled with food. Jack did not let this inferior speed discourage him, and he quickly took another basket when the first one was full.

Once he was done, he handed the full basket back to Andr. Cupa had taken care of the others and was already back on the ground.

Jack jumped down from a low branch and landed on his feet. He looked up at the girls.

Cupa stood oddly frozen. With a frown, she looked past Jack towards the trees behind him. Jack tilted his head and was about to ask what was wrong, but Cupa gestured for him to remain quiet.

The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps suddenly filled the air from behind Jack, making him turn around. A few worried whispers could be heard, flashes of green and purple briefly appeared between the trees.

"Wh-what was that?!" Cupa whispered. "I saw something between the trees!"

"Yeah, me too," Jack replied, his voice also quiet.

More footsteps and voices erupted from the same direction, though these held some differences compared to the first ones; the new voices weren't worried whispers, but angry grunts and commands. As if someone was barking orders around.

"Hurry!" a whispering voice suddenly said from right in front of the group. "This way!"

That's when four figures revealed themselves from behind the trees, freezing when they saw the group.

A woman in a purple dress, wearing a black pointy hat. Next to her stood three more girls of varying ages, each one having green skin and clothing.

A witch, accompanied by three slimes.

After a second or two, an angry shout rang out from where the newcomers had come from. Said newcomers turned around, backing off when a sword-wielding human appeared from the forest.

Before anyone could do anything, a purple flash appeared, and the human lost consciousness as Andr teleported him a few meters to the left.

More yelling voices approached. Five more warriors appeared from behind the trees, all of them armed. Their stoic yet cold gazes were focused on the mobs.

Andr didn't seem to hesitate. She immediately moved in to fight. Four of the five soldiers attacked her. The fifth one—a young man with a spear—turned his gaze to the other mobs. He took a threatening step towards them, his weapon at the ready.

Jack—who apparently hadn't been seen by the humans yet—realized he had to do something. He wasn't sure how well the other mobs could fight, and he was too afraid to take any risks.

Hesitating only briefly, Jack stepped in front of the soldier.

The soldier froze, then frowned. Confused but visibly relieved to see another human, he seemed to relax ever so slightly…which was just what Jack was hoping for.

 _Rookie_ , Jack thought.

Seeing his chance, Jack allowed his modern-world martial arts-related reflexes to take over. He grabbed the spear—which the soldier was holding with both hands, spearhead aimed forward—with one hand, stepped aside and towards his opponent, and yanked at the spear to reposition it between him and the other man. Using a move he'd practiced, Jack took the spear and threw the soldier on the ground.

The spearman—who was caught off-guard—had little time to defend himself and was soon disarmed. He quickly stood up to face Jack, who was threateningly holding the spear towards his enemy.

Not wanting to risk accidently stabbing the soldier to death, Jack moved backwards in an attempt to avoid further conflict. Immediately after doing so, however, a purple flash appeared next to the soldier, who was knocked out a moment later by a familiar woman.

Jack relaxed, lowering the spear. A quick glance allowed him to see that the other human soldiers had been disabled as well.

Andr swiftly grabbed the other end of the spear.

A pleading look mixed with the regret and worry in the endergirl's eyes as she looked down at Jack. The young man was caught off-guard by the sudden action, and it took a second for him to realize what Andr wanted.

He hesitated, then slowly let go of the spear.

Andr threw the weapon a few meters away, after which she turned her gaze to the ground. She didn't seem very happy.

"Nice one," Jack sincerely said, nodding to the unconscious soldier he'd disarmed.

"I'm sorry…" Andr muttered in response.

Jack frowned. "Sorry? For what?"

Andr glanced up at him. "I-I didn't pay attention to what that soldier was doing. I should've taken care of him…but now you had to risk your life." She paused. "And then I thought I trusted you, but…" She glanced to where she'd thrown the spear.

Jack knew what that glance meant. Taking the spear from him was a sign of mistrust—a sign Andr didn't want to show. But was that enough reason for her to be so ashamed? Jack was fairly sure that he would've done the same if he were in her position.

And that thing with the _one soldier_ Jack had to fight hadn't even really been Andr's fault. Seeing how she'd also had to deal with four others, Jack was amazed that she'd been able to help him at all.

"Andr," Jack said.

Andr said nothing.

"You look at things in ways I don't even consider," Jack flatly said. "You didn't risk my life; that was all me. Meanwhile, you were fighting _four_ soldiers. Then you made sure the impatient sonofabitch who yelled at you for being cautious earlier"—he briefly pointed to himself—"didn't die. Or stab anyone to death."

The endergirl fidgeted, looking down. She still looked guilty, if a bit conflicted.

Jack took a careful step towards her, pleasantly surprised when she didn't flinch. "Don't worry about it," he said. "Really."

"Hey," a third voice cut in.

Jack and Andr turned to where it came from. The witch girl cautiously approached the duo, her eyes narrowed at Jack in an almost hostile way. Only then did Jack notice the shoulder bag she carried. Was that where she stored potions or something…?

"Aside from myself," the witch spoke, "I don't know any other mob-friendly humans. Who are you?"

Jack sighed. "We have much to discuss."

"We should go back," Cupa said. "Tell Athena and the others about this whole thing. We can sort this all out back at the mine."

The oldest of the slime girls gave Cupa a questioning look. "Who…?" she softly inquired.

"Other mobs," Cupa clarified. "They live in those mountains over there."

"And we've got to go back there anyway," Jack said as he took a basket with apples.

The witch hesitated, then sighed and looked at the three slimes. "We should go with them. We've been walking for a while now."

* * *

When they finally arrived at the cave, they were greeted by the two spider girls. Ari observed the group with curiosity. "Something interesting happened?" she asked Jack when he came closer.

"You could say that," Jack said. "Can we arrange a meeting or something?"

"I'll talk to the others," Ari said.

Cassandra nodded towards the witch and the slimes. "Who're they?"

"We found them running from a bunch of humans," Cupa said. "We dealt with them, but I'm afraid of what'll happen if they find us."

"There's a human _right there_." Cassandra gestured to the witch. "Why're we trusting her?"

"She's been with us for a while," the oldest slime carefully cut in. "You can trust her."

"Alright, then," Ari sighed. "Come on, follow me. I'll take you to our conference room."

Cassandra gave the newcomers an observant, almost threatening eye when they hesitantly followed the rest of the group. Her glare was enough to intimidate the smallest slime into looking away.

"You try anything," Cassandra quietly said to the witch when she walked by, "and I'll pour poison into your bloodstream."

* * *

 **Conference room**

"We were just walking, minding our own business," Mystia—the witch—told the group. "They came out of nowhere and attacked us. We had to flee."

"And then you ran through the woods and into us," Cupa guessed.

"Sounds about right," Mystia affirmed. "You know the rest."

"Well, great, I guess," Ari spoke up, "but there's one thing in your story that kinda scares me. That forest isn't very far away from here. If the humans came this close to our home…"

"Did we leave footprints?" Sylvia suddenly asked, sounding nervous.

A silence fell.

"We should move," Athena finally said, her voice as calm as ever. "If this place's been compromised, we won't be safe much longer. We've survived this long because few humans ever went here. Now that they've seen us…" She stood up. "We can't take any chances. We should pack our things as soon as possible. We'll leave tonight."

"Where do we go?" Yaebi asked.

"What about the Fallen Realm?" Mystia suggested. "It's where we're headed."

That caught the group's attention.

"What's the Fallen Realm?" Cupa asked.

Mystia looked at the tallest slime—whose name was Gelli—and explained only after the green girl nodded. "Years upon years ago, when the Kingdom was still intact, a castle and a city were built as its center—its capital. The royal family lived there. Shortly after the Kingdom's fall, when the cities and villages became independent, the capital was abandoned and eventually forgotten." She gave a triumphant smile. "It's been lost for a long time now, but I've figured out where it is!"

"We were going to live there without the fear of being hunted," Gelli added. "Apparently, it's practically impossible to go in or out unless you have the right map."

"A _very specific_ map that I just happen to have," Mystia grinned. "You're all welcome to come with us. It's actually quite close to this place. We start walking now, we'll probably be there in the late afternoon." She patted the bag at her hip. "I've got plenty of potions for emergencies, too."

Jack was amazed to see this; Mystia and her friends just seemed to blindly trust other mobs—people they barely knew—with this information. Did the Overworld's hate towards mobs enable them to work together so easily? To unquestioningly join forces in order to enlarge their chances of survival, because they knew every mob had that very goal? Or had their trust something to do with the fight at the forest?

Athena hesitated, looking at the rest of the group. When no one said anything, she turned to Jack—causing everyone else to focus their attention on the human as well.

"Still not trusting me, huh…" Jack said.

"Of _course_ we still don't trust you," Cassandra said. "But you're still coming with us, just in case you _aren't_ a spy."

"I agree," Ari said as she looked around the group.

Athena opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could even say anything.

"Y-you're not just going to leave him here, are you?" Andr worriedly asked her. "You can't do that! If he's staying, so am I!"

"Besides," Mystia said, "he _did_ help in the fight with those humans back there. Maybe you _should_ trust him."

"He saved me from a human too, remember?" Yaebi said. "A _Hunter_. Athena, please!"

"He did," Athena said before anyone else said anything. "And yes, I agree; Jack should come with us. If he wants to, at least."

Another silence followed. Jack felt his face get warm. Only now did he fully realize how good these mobs, these _people_ had been to him. They didn't trust him, yet they allowed him to eat their food and use their home as a means to protect himself from the cold weather. Just now, Andr even threatened to stay behind with him if he wasn't allowed to come with the group to a safe place. How many humans in this world would do something like that for a mob? Probably not the humans in Ironhand.

"Everyone get up and pack your things," Athena said.

That order was followed. Mystia and the mobs rose from their seats and proceeded to leave the room.

Jack also wanted to leave, but was stopped by Athena. "Look, Jack," Athena said, "I don't think you organized that human attack, and I'm sure the others think the same, but we can't give you complete freedom yet."

"No kidding," Jack dryly said. "I'll just go to my room and meet you all when the time comes. Escort me if you want. Just don't forget to tell me when we're leaving." He turned back to the door, only for Athena to stop him again.

A confused frown was visible on Athena's face. "Wait…you're okay with this…?"

Jack shrugged airily. "Last time someone was being cautious, I was being an asshole. Right now's not the time for that. I'd rather just sort this out at the Fallen Realm than complain about it here."

The skeleton regarded him. "It's convenient, don't you think?" she finally asked.

Jack looked at her questioningly.

"First you save my brother from a bunch of mob hunters—who I later learned were the Ironhand Hunters themselves," Athena said. "Then, somehow, I meet my brother's savior _less than a day_ after Yaebi returned here, and _three days_ before more mobs and a sympathizer come along and join our little group. As a final stroke of good luck, they even point us in the direction of a good hideout."

"That _is_ convenient," Jack realized, frowning. Meeting Andr at the lake had also been a coincidence, he suddenly realized; the endergirl had mentioned that she moved around a lot, and her hideout at the time was quite a walk away from the lake. What had been the chances of her and Jack going to the exact same location at the exact same time? The very next day after Jack had fled from Ironhand, no less.

Whatever had brought him to this world had certainly chosen a good timing…and somehow predicted _exactly_ what was going to happen after.

Athena tilted her head and sighed. "I don't know what to make of you, Jack. There's something deeper going on here, and you're at the center of it. I'm not sure if you know what that something is either, but I _do_ know there're things you're not telling us."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, sounding a little more defensive than intended.

"You weren't being very specific when you said where you were from," Athena said. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think you did that on purpose."

"How about we save this for the Realm, too?"

"I don't mean to corner you, Jack," Athena softly said. "Just…for the safety of the group, I…"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack sighed. "I get it. I'll explain when we get to the Realm."

He turned to the door again, realizing that that was a promise he was going to have to keep. He just hoped that the mobs weren't going to feel too betrayed once they knew the truth.


	10. Seeking redemption

**_Act 3: Destination_**

 _Chapter nine: Seeking redemption _

**Morning**

Tristan was sitting on the chair in his house, his untouched meal on the table in front of him still waiting to be eaten. The fresh food was as much a source of nourishment as it was a reminder of how good his life really was in Ironhand.

It was a subtle attempt to erase the doubts he had about his fellow Hunters, the laws, Snyder and…himself. What he was doing.

Frustrated at himself and the conflict he was currently going through, Tristan kept a sigh from escaping his lips. His head was supported by his hands, which forcefully pressed down on his temples to the point where his skull felt like it was being crushed.

Ever since that battle with Jack, Tristan had been thinking about the somewhat oddly dressed man's words. He had been considering the reasons for Jack's betrayal, and although Tristan would not admit it, he was starting to feel unsure if what Jack had done was unjust.

Tristan had always been told that mobs were dangerous beings—forces to be reckoned with. They had to die for humanity's safety. But if he were to let go of those teachings for even a moment and look upon them from a fresh perspective…would he still agree with them? Was what he had been doing all this time really right?

 _"_ _A_ potential _threat?!"_ Jack's voice echoed. _"I'm sorry, how many cases did you say are there where a mob killed a human unprovoked?"_

 _"_ _Y…Y…Yaebi."_ An innocent voice. Yaebi. The mob Tristan had been prepared to capture or kill, simply because of what it was. He had been told that the mobs' innocent demeanor was merely a way to fool humans into a false sense of security. But how much evidence was there for that?

Why did humans really hate mobs? Was it because mobs were evil? Or because they were feared for their power?

 _"_ _So you people just discriminate mobs and call it justice?"_ Jack.

 _"_ _Jack has gone rogue."_ Raulyn.

 _"_ _All I know is that their inhuman abilities make them dangerous, and that danger needs to be eradicated!"_ Himself.

 _"_ _All I know…"_ he repeated to himself. _All I know is that mobs are evil. All I know is fighting. The danger mobs may represent. And I never asked myself…is destroying everything that is not human the only way to achieve peace? Could that even be called true peace?_

 _If I were hunted only because I was not human—if I were hunted because I had a power nobody understood or comprehended…what would I do? Would I fight? Kill? Hide? Team up with others like me?_

He sighed. _Changing the world with destruction…I always thought that that was an evil thing to do, regardless of the ultimate result. And now here I am, realizing that I have been committing that very crime since I joined the Hunters._

That thought made him stand up. Something not dissimilar to determination rose within him. _I cannot end this. Not by myself. But I can do whatever I can. I can search for Jack and the mobs to see who the real enemy is. But by leaving, I weaken the Hunters. Weaken Ironhand._

He grabbed his weapons and armor, despite knowing that his life was probably forfeit if he were to continue this plan. Raulyn would find him and kill him. But Tristan had done too much wrong, and now he had to set it right. By any means, he was going to allow justice free passage into Ironhand.

He exited his house and headed to the Hunters' headquarters. More weapons were needed to improve the chances for a good outcome.

* * *

After ensuring that he was alone in the building, Tristan made his way to the Hunters' main weapon storage. Of course, walking out of a village with swords, spears and axes on his belt could not be done without attracting attention. He would have to sneak his way out of Ironhand.

Upon reaching the room, he looked at the swords with doubt. Who was going to teach these mobs how to use swords? Tristan only ever used his dagger or his bow for close combat, and Snyder seemed to prefer fighting unarmed—implying that his experience with weapons like these was limited.

With that in mind, Tristan turned away and stepped towards the collection of bows and arrows.

Suddenly, he froze.

Footsteps.

He turned to the opening of the room, reflexively grabbing his crossbow and putting a bolt into it. He aimed at the doorframe.

When Drake's tall silhouette appeared, Tristan relaxed and lowered his weapon. He sighed in relief as the older Hunter entered the storage room with a confused expression.

"Tristan…?" Drake eventually spoke. "Why are you here? And what is with the crossbow?"

Tristan frowned before looking down at his crossbow, realizing that he could have killed Drake mere moments ago. Why _had_ he drawn his weapon? Was he that nervous?

Should he have killed Drake in an attempt to weaken the Hunters?

"Sorry," Tristan eventually spoke. "After the incident at the Silver Cave, I have been…more nervous than usual."

"… I see," Drake said, though he sounded doubtful. "But why did you go to our armory? You already have weapons."

Tristan did not reply. He did not know what he should be saying.

Drake frowned. "Are you all right? Perhaps you should get more rest."

The younger man hesitated, but ultimately nodded. There was no point in going against Drake now; he would simply have to bide his time until an opportunity was presented.

Unless…

"Drake…" Tristan said. "Have you ever thought about a more peaceful way to rule?"

"What do you mean?" Drake asked. "We are already at peace."

"We wage war on mobs," Tristan said. "But what if there is a different way?"

"Mobs and humans cannot coexist."

"Sources say that the Kingdom was able to keep humans and mobs in peace for a long time."

"The Kingdom was wrong. That is why it fell." Drake tilted his head. "Has Snyder's betrayal _inspired_ you? He attacked you."

"He spared me—and so did the mob." Tristan glanced down. "I…I simply feel as if our view on mobs is too dogmatic. We have not even considered what their lives must be like—being forced to hide everywhere from humans. Scattered. Lost."

"Tristan."

Tristan looked up again.

"Why have you come here?" Drake asked. "Be truthful."

The archer hesitated, but he realized that there was no point in lying anymore—to Drake or to himself. He sighed. "I am going to find Snyder and any mobs he may be with. I believe that humans and mobs can coexist, and I intend to prove it."

Silence.

Tristan did not have the courage to look his fellow Hunter in the eye. He did, however, remember the crossbow he was still holding in his hands. If Drake was going to push him too far…

"I…suppose there is no way to convince you otherwise," Drake said. "But I would rather not fight."

"Neither would I," Tristan responded.

"However…if you continue to openly defy the laws of our village…" Drake's hand went to a large sword on a weapon rack next to him. "…I will be forced to fight—for the safety of not only Ironhand, but all human societies in the Overworld."

Tristan watched as his now fallen friend took the sword. He raised his crossbow, ready to fire.

At the same time, Drake proceeded to close the distance between them with great speed, sword held in both hands.

The battle ended mere moments later. Blood fell, staining the ground and the walls.

* * *

 **Afternoon**

The people of Ironhand were shocked beyond belief when they heard that two of the three mob hunters of the village had fought to the death in their own headquarters. Their shock increased when they realized that Ironhand's influence would be significantly diminished because of this; the other cities and villages would undoubtedly lose their faith in the legendary group of mob killers. To make matters worse, Ironhand's defenses now rested on the shoulders of one single Hunter.

That single Hunter—Raulyn—took it the hardest. His comrades were dead. Killed by one another. Reasons were unknown, though not unguessable: people had seen Tristan heading to the headquarters with armor and weapons, so it was likely that he had plans of challenging Drake. This led many to believe that Snyder's words had actually managed to convince Tristan to betray the Hunters.

Raulyn, who was currently at his house, smashed his fist on the table in frustration. Jack Snyder. The one who started all this. That mob sympathizer. How had he been able to get into Tristan's head? Had the young archer really been that weak-willed?

No. Raulyn knew that that could not be the case.

Someone knocked on the door. Raulyn quickly calmed down before opening it. Malcolm stood before him.

"Raulyn, sir," the farmer greeted.

"Malcolm," Raulyn gruffly said. "Why are you here? Is this about Tristan and Drake?"

"Not directly, sir," Malcolm replied. "But we may have a chance for revenge."

"Explain."

"We have received a message from Glassway. The one who sent it had been travelling on horseback, so the message is still quite new."

"What is the message?"

"A human has been sighted by a squad of Glassway mob hunters. A human who fought alongside a group of mobs. He disarmed a recruit."

That made Raulyn's eyes widen. "What?"

"Apparently, the human assisted in the protection of the mob hunters' targets."

"Where?"

"The Silent Forest."

"Tell the messenger to return to Glassway immediately. Once there, he will order the available mob hunters in the village to meet me at the Silent Forest. Have them know that I will be waiting for them there."

"I will."

Both left the house, with Raulyn sprinting to the stables. If the human the message mentioned really was Snyder, he could not fail.

Humanity depended on it.


	11. The chase

**BaneOf12:** _Thank you! I don't really know much about Attack on Titan, but I'll do my best._

* * *

 _Chapter ten: The chase_

 **Evening**

"Time to go," Ari said as she watched the sun go behind another group of mountains in the far distance. She looked at Andr, who quickly teleported away to inform the others. She reappeared with Cupa mere seconds later.

"The others are coming," Cupa said.

Ari gave a nod. "Good." She paused. "How's Jack holding up?"

Cupa sighed. "Athena still doesn't trust him. Not completely, anyway."

Andr frowned. "What? Why not?"

"Reasons."

"Yeah…" Ari hesitantly said. "Look, I know we may seem paranoid here, but we just…don't want to take too many risks."

"I understand that," Cupa said. "Andr and I have been running from humans for a long time too. Besides, if you really were that paranoid, you wouldn't have wanted to take him with us to the Realm." Her shoulders dropped. "I just don't like seeing him getting a prisoner's treatment, I guess. It's bad enough that I've been guilty of that myself…"

"We already talked about that," a male voice cut in. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go. We have somewhere to be."

Jack walked out of the cave and passed the three mobs with his hands on his back, followed by the others. Several of them were carrying bags with supplies.

The trip to the Realm finally began.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

"Sir," one of the four present Glassway mob hunters said to Raulyn, who was in a crouched position near a tree at the edge of the Silent Forest, "me and my men are reporting for duty."

Raulyn did not immediately look up, instead examining the group of footprints he had found on the ground. They were headed towards a collection of mountains in the distance. He looked over the flat area between him and said mountains, absentmindedly scratching in the dirt with his dagger as he wondered how many mobs Jack was currently accompanied by.

He sighed, stood up, put the dagger in the small scabbard on his lower leg and faced the mob hunter who had spoken. A man in his early thirties nervously looked back.

Raulyn examined him. "You are late," he flatly said.

Despite being older than Raulyn, the unnamed mob hunter swallowed. The Hunters from Ironhand were known and respected across the Overworld, and Raulyn had made a name for himself as a potential leader. And even now that his comrades were dead, he still radiated that authority.

"I am sorry, sir," the mob hunter apologized. "Our recruits, the ones who fought the mobs here, still had information to share with us."

"What kind of information?"

"At least one of the mobs is a teleporter. Also, one of the two humans of the group may have some one-on-one combat skill. We may have a disadvantage, depending on how many mobs are present—and how powerful they are." The man hesitated. "Sir, are you certain this is a good plan?"

Raulyn looked him directly in the eye. "You are scared of a disadvantage? Is that not what humans always have when fighting mobs?"

The man said nothing.

"What are your names?" Raulyn eventually asked the group. "And your ranks?"

* * *

 **Night**

The atmosphere among the group members was tense as they nervously followed Mystia's directions to the Fallen Realm. Other than the witch telling them where to go, few conversations were held. Jack could tell that the silence wasn't connected to any sort of distrust, though; they were simply afraid of being found by humans.

As he absently glanced to the small forest in the near distance to his left, he realized that he was afraid as well. Somehow, even though it made little sense, he felt like the Hunters could appear here at any moment. He allowed a single, humorless chuckle to escape with that thought. If Drake, Tristan and Raulyn would actually show up, it'd make for a pretty…awkward reunion.

There was little evidence that anyone actually found the mineshaft in the first place, though. Maybe leaving the cave system could be considered being paranoid. They were afraid of being tracked via their footprints, yet none of them made any effort to erase the ones they were leaving now. But if this Fallen Realm really existed, and if they were really going to find it, maybe the mobs could settle there permanently.

And, while it sounded far-fetched, it might even hold some answers about how to send Jack back home.

In any case, the mobs would be safe. It had been said that a very specific map was needed to go in and out of the Realm, so the humans probably wouldn't pose much of a threat to them.

After several hours of walking—and occasionally stopping for food—Mystia spoke up. "We're almost there. You see that mountain up ahead? That's where we need to go now."

The others looked up and saw the silhouette of the mountain the witch meant, the light of the moon and the surrounding stars making it visible. It was huge—a trait that could not be missed, even from this distance. The flat summit looked more like a plateau. Could the capital have existed on top of the mountain…?

An approaching sound from behind them suddenly reached their ears, making them turn around. In the distance, a group of people on horseback could be seen, approaching the group with high speed. The light of their glowstone lamps revealed five individuals.

"A-are those…?!" Andr said.

"Run!" Athena ordered.

She didn't need to repeat herself for the others to obey.

* * *

After having tracked more footprints from the cave near the Silent Forest, Raulyn and the four mob hunters from Glassway had begun to follow them without losing the trail. For a while, nothing had turned up, and the horses seemed to be growing tired. However, when Raulyn's sharp eyes had sighted the group in the night, he knew that they were not too late.

Now they were closing in on their targets. Raulyn had not expected the group to be so large, but requesting more soldiers was not an option; he could not afford to waste more time.

When the distance between the mob hunters and their targets had been reduced sufficiently, Raulyn drew his sword and spurred his horse to gain more speed. He looked over the group of mobs.

He heard a few yells erupt from one of the mobs. As a response, the group suddenly split into three smaller versions of itself, running in separate directions. Some ran towards large rocks for cover. Others ran for the small forest to their left.

Raulyn had expected this. Thinking quickly, he glanced over to his right, where Bernard—the highest ranking mob hunter he had spoken to this evening—and Grayson matched his speed.

"You two!" he barked. "Go after those over there!" He pointed to a group of four mobs, who were heading for a nearby rock to take cover behind.

Bernard, despite his obvious nervousness, nodded and signaled for Grayson to go where Raulyn had pointed him to.

Raulyn turned to the hunters to his left. "Sigurd! Arthur! You go follow that trio that is heading for the woods!" The trio consisted of one human—not Jack; it had to be the Glassway hunters' target—and two green mobs.

Raulyn turned his gaze to where the third part of the group had gone, and he was just about to pursue them, only for something to catch his eye. He looked over.

It was then that he realized that he had made a mistake.

The group had not split into three parts, but four.

The fourth group consisted of two males. One of them was slightly younger than Raulyn. He wore moblike clothing, but he was definitely human.

Even from this distance, even in this darkness, Raulyn recognized Jack.

Immediately forgetting about the mob trio he originally intended to go after, Raulyn spurred his horse again and headed for Jack, who was running towards the forest. The mob alongside him was significantly smaller, but somehow still managed to match Jack's running speed.

The duo reached the forest before Raulyn reached them, but the Hunter was not going to stop. He had to kill Snyder. That was his main objective. It was more important than killing any mob.

Just outside the forest, Raulyn practically jumped from his horse.

The sound of his targets' running footsteps had ceased, but Raulyn knew they were still close. They were in hiding. Raulyn needed to be cautious; if he were ambushed by Snyder or the mob from behind a tree, it would be over.

* * *

Horrified, Andr looked to the Hunters from behind a rock. Next to her sat Cupa and Cassandra.

Athena and Ari were running away. Athena occasionally shot an arrow at the two mob hunters they were being chased by, trying to keep Gelli and Sylvia as safe as possible. Her aim was good, but the mob hunters made sure to keep their distance, and they were competent enough to make their horses jump out of the way whenever an arrow was fired.

Mystia was doing even worse; she had to protect both Ellie and Kelly from two hunters. Those hunters had gotten off their horses and were now threateningly approaching the witch, who had ordered the young slime girls to take cover in the forest. After that, she had started to threaten the hunters with some kind of potion in her hands.

For some reason, the last mob hunter hadn't come for Andr, Cupa and Cassandra, instead having entered the small forest. Apparently, his horse had run away, as it was nowhere to be seen.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Cassandra hissed to Andr. Andr looked at her, half ashamed and half afraid.

"Even with Andr's powers," Cupa said, "humans with horses are notably more difficult to fight. Especially if they're trained mob hunters."

Cassandra glanced at her before turning to Andr again, her glare having sharpened. "And what about now? Most of 'em have gotten off their horses. We _have_ to help the others! _Now_!"

"Teleporting to Mystia will definitely startle her, and she'll drop that potion," Cupa said. "What if that kills her?"

"Help Ari and Athena!" Cassandra commanded. "I'll take care of Mystia."

Cupa looked to Andr. "Andr? You can take those horsemen from behind, right?"

Andr nodded.

Then, she vanished in a purple flash of light.

* * *

Jack stood still as a statue.

The sounds of running horses soon stopped existing for him. Yells and barks were still heard, mostly from just outside the small forest. None of the voices belonged to Raulyn.

When Jack saw that the Hunter was heading for him and Yaebi, he had ordered the zombie boy to take cover. Jack had found his own hiding spot behind a nearby tree. All he could do after that was wait.

He looked to Yaebi, who was hidden behind a large rock a few meters away. Yaebi looked back, frightened, shaking ever so slightly. Jack put his finger to his lips, silently telling the boy to be quiet.

Taking a quick glance around, Jack saw nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, he barely saw anything at all; the moon was very bright, but the shadows of the surrounding trees largely negated that.

He felt more nervous than ever before. Raulyn was practically the leader of the Hunters; there was probably a reason why people regarded him that way. Jack wouldn't be surprised if the sonofabitch knew a thing or two about stealth—

Light.

Jack's eyes widened. That light…he'd seen that before. Numerous times, in fact. It was the kind of light a glowstone lamp emanated.

And its source was somewhere on the other side of the tree Jack was hiding behind.

Jack held his breath.

The light source came closer. He heard footsteps.

But something wasn't right. Those footsteps—which were largely muffled by the grass—didn't belong to a human.

They belonged to a horse.

Jack saw something move in the corner of his eye.

Something gleamed in the darkness.

Jack dived to the side, barely dodging the strike of a bladed weapon. As the weapon impacted the tree, Jack quickly got back on his feet to face whoever stood there.

Raulyn coldly glared back, yanking his sword out of the tree's trunk. Jack saw the horse—which was carrying the glowstone lamp—flinch, but it didn't run away. Raulyn must've used it as a distraction while he himself snuck up on Jack from behind.

Raulyn lowered his sword, stepping forward. "You have been causing a lot of havoc, Snyder," the Hunter said as Jack backed up. "Where is the mob?"

 _Yaebi._ "I don't know what you're talking about," Jack said, maybe a second too late.

Raulyn's eyes narrowed. "Do you know what it means to become a Hunter? Do you know what you threw away when you betrayed us? What do you think you could have achieved if you had stayed on our side?"

"Nothing worth achieving," Jack spat. "I was never interested in joining a hate group in the first place!"

"How _dare_ you call us a hate group!" Raulyn snarled. "You believe you are some kind of hero? Your actions have brought nothing but suffering to Ironhand."

"Ironhand? What about the mobs? _They_ 're the victims here!"

"Enough!" Raulyn raised his sword again, holding it with both hands. "I will not let you get away with this!"

Jack grimaced. He defensively held his hands in front of him, despite knowing that his lack of weaponry was his disadvantage.

Something shuffled to Jack's left. He and Raulyn both looked over.

In the light of the lamp Raulyn's horse carried, a silhouette of a small object flying through the air was visible. It was heading straight for Raulyn's head.

Raulyn saw it too, and he moved out of the way on the last second. The rock missed and fell on the ground next to him. He looked to where it had come from.

Yaebi stood there, mere meters to Jack's left. Another rock was visible in his hand.

* * *

"Stay back!" Mystia warned, holding a harming potion in front of her. "I'll drop this thing, I swear!"

The two mob hunters in front of her were holding their weapons threateningly. The distance between them and Mystia was a little smaller than she'd wanted. Not that she had the right to complain; at least Ellie and Kelly were out of here, and that's all she could hope for. She'd gladly risk her own life if it meant keeping the two girls safe.

"The grass won't save you!" Mystia said, not certain if that was true. "This little bottle is fragile."

The hunters looked at her doubtfully. They didn't seem too sure if Mystia was bluffing or not. Regardless, if she were to drop the potion now, the hunters might still be able to jump back and evade its effects. Then again, if they came close enough to stab her, they'd be able to keep the potion from falling at all.

Either way, Mystia was probably dead.

Or not.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a small silhouette sneak up on the two hunters from behind. The light of the lamps on the hunters' belts soon revealed Cassandra.

Even farther away, a few faint purple flashes were visible. They weren't bright and seemed to produce little to no sound from this distance, so the hunters didn't notice it. They kept their gazes on the witch.

Suddenly, Cassandra leaped towards one of the hunters and bit him in the neck with her sharp teeth. The hunter screamed and tried to hit the girl, but she jumped back on the ground before he could do so.

The hunter staggered, dropped to his knees and fell face-first to the ground. Meanwhile, his colleague had unthinkingly turned to Cassandra.

Using that, Mystia's empty hand went into her bag. She swiftly grabbed a glass bottle and threw it to the hunter's head, right when the man turned back to her. The bottle—which was notably larger and heavier than the one that contained the harming potion—hit him square in the face without shattering.

The dazed hunter was unable to stop Cassandra from biting an unarmored part of his arm. Soon after that, he fell over.

Mystia looked to Cassandra, frowning. "What are you," the witch asked, "a vampire?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Remember what I said I'd do to you if you tried anything?"

"Right. You'd pour poison into my bloodstream." Mystia doubtfully looked down at the hunters.

"They'll live," Cassandra said. "I don't know if they deserve it, but I'm not going to put any more poison in them. Not while they're asleep. You're welcome, by the way."

"Uh, right. Thanks. Anyway, we should regroup."

* * *

The next rock Yaebi threw didn't hit its target, either.

Using the distraction, Jack swiftly bent down and grabbed a long wooden stick from the ground—one of the few that lay around. He held the weapon in a defensive stance, hoping it'd be enough to help him defend himself.

Raulyn moved in for a strike. Jack redirected it with his makeshift staff weapon and tried to hit Raulyn's head with it, only for the Hunter to swiftly elbow Jack's stomach. Jack grunted and backed off.

Raulyn bent down slightly and tried to horizontally slice at Jack's legs with his sword. Jack quickly stabbed the lower end of his staff into the ground, blocking Raulyn's blade mid-slice. Raulyn grunted in surprise. Taking his chance, Jack grabbed the back of Raulyn's head and launched his knee against the Hunter's nose.

He tried to do it again, but Raulyn defensively put up his hand. It didn't stop Jack's attack completely, but it did soften the blow. The Hunter swiftly let go of his sword, grabbed the dagger from the scabbard on his lower leg and once again sliced at Jack's legs. Jack backed off—taking his makeshift staff weapon with him—but not before gaining a cut on his shin.

A relatively small but sharp rock grazed Raulyn's neck. Raulyn glared to Yaebi, who quickly took cover behind a thick tree. The Hunter grunted before picking up his sword again, facing Jack.

"We welcomed you," Raulyn whispered, sheathing the dagger. "We offered you a life. A place to stay until we were able to return you to your world. You threw it in our faces. Such arrogance you have…"

"Arrogance?" Jack echoed. "No. Just confidence."

"Confidence alone does not let you take advantage of someone's kindness."

"Confidence lets me stand up to assholes like you. You're just another bully I have to deal with."

"You are a fool."

"I'm not the one killing mobs for no reason."

"No—you are the one defending them."

Raulyn moved in again, attacking with a quick flurry of sword strikes. They weren't very powerful, but Jack had trouble keeping up with Raulyn's speed. Meanwhile, his wooden staff was slowly succumbing to the steel blade, and Jack had little doubt that it was going to break soon.

The strikes Jack couldn't block left small cuts on his skin. Jack himself continuously had to move backwards while Raulyn moved forward. The Hunter's flashing blade ceaselessly flew through the air, reflecting the light of the moon.

Jack felt that he was going to lose.

Then a rock hit Raulyn's head from behind.

The Hunter was dazed. The rock hadn't been too large, but it was enough to make him stop his attacks on Jack.

Jack took that chance to return the favor. He didn't have too much practice with any kind of weaponry, but his strength, speed and the little practice he _did_ have turned out to be enough to give him sufficient control over the staff.

The staff hit the side of Raulyn's knee, causing the Hunter to stagger. The next attack grazed his head.

As Jack went on the offensive, swiftly dealing blows against his opponent, Raulyn did his best to block them all. Raulyn still had the advantage, as his armor and superior speed almost completely nullified Jack's attacks, but he was unable to keep the weapon from hitting his hip and his jaw a few times.

Eventually, however, he gained the upper hand once more. Jack swung the staff horizontally. He hit Raulyn's ribs, but the Hunter was able to grab the staff and yank it towards himself. Jack tried to hit Raulyn with the middle part of the staff, but was stopped when he felt something just above his leg.

He looked down to see Raulyn's sword through his abdomen.

The pain set in a moment later.

Jack cried out in agony and dropped to his knees, letting go of the staff. Raulyn threw the thing away.

Jack growled painfully. He looked at Raulyn's feet in front of him. The tip of the Hunter's blade was stained with blood. There was no doubt that Jack was about to die, either by his wound or by a sword to the neck.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly yelled. Both men looked to where it came from.

Yaebi fearfully looked back, completely frozen.

"RUN!" Jack screamed to the mob.

Raulyn glanced to Jack.

Then, he proceeded to walk towards Yaebi. His pace was calm and slow.

Jack growled again. "No…"

With the little strength he had left, he stood up. His hand was pressing down on the wound in his abdomen. He looked to Raulyn, who was still walking away.

Jack launched himself forward and grabbed Raulyn from behind. With one arm he tried to strangle Raulyn, while he used the other to hold the Hunter's sword arm at bay.

Raulyn grunted and tried to stab Jack, who, despite his weakened state, held Raulyn in a grip that was powerful enough to render the Hunter's attacks useless.

It was only when Raulyn managed to shove his elbow against Jack's stomach that Jack let go of him. Jack dropped to his knees once more. Raulyn kicked his temple.

Jack lost consciousness as he rolled on his back.

Raulyn turned back to Yaebi.

Behind the young mob, Raulyn's horse still stood, carrying the glowstone lamp. The light allowed him to see the second silhouette just behind the boy.

A silhouette with a bow.

Raulyn reflexively raised his sword with both hands, shattering the arrow that was heading for his shoulder in mid-air. His movements were a bit sloppy, his legs felt slightly weaker than usual. Jack had lost, but not without dealing some damage. Raulyn could still feel the pain from the blows he had taken to his knee, hip and jaw.

He could not defeat an archer now. In fact, he might not even survive at all.

With that in mind, he turned to Jack again and raised his sword, intending to have at least one kill today.

Something grabbed his arm from behind and dealt a swift punch against his spine. He grunted and whirled around, swinging his sword. He missed Ari, who jumped back, taking a taunting stance as she did.

A small bottle with a grayish fluid in it shattered against his skull. Briefly dazed, he looked to see Yaebi standing next to Mystia. The witch gave the boy an approving slap on the shoulder.

Raulyn turned to Ari and leaped towards her, but the weakness potion had done its work. The spider girl simply took a step backwards, leaving Raulyn to regain the balance he'd suddenly lost. His sword felt heavy in his hand.

A purple flash behind him. He didn't have enough time to turn around before something shoved him to the ground.

Raulyn was too weak to get up.

For the first time in years, the legendary Hunter—the face of Ironhand itself—had been defeated.

* * *

Immediately after Raulyn had been taken down, Ari and Cassandra approached him and took his weapons. With effort, Raulyn rolled on his back.

Andr kneeled down next to Jack and pressed her hand on the wound in his abdomen. She put her other hand on the human's neck, checking for a pulse.

He was alive.

Andr turned to Mystia. "Mystia…!" she cried, her voice shaking a bit.

"Coming," Mystia said.

Raulyn suddenly chuckled, drawing Ari's attention. She calmly walked over to the Hunter and crouched down next to him, holding a challenging look in her red eyes.

Raulyn looked at her, an insane grin on his face that really didn't suit him. "Heh…" he chuckled. "Fools."

"You mean your mob hunters?" Ari smirked. "I agree."

That only caused Raulyn's chuckling to intensify. "You cannot save Jack," he said. "You lack the strength…and so does he."

"Really?" Ari said, unimpressed, as some of the other mobs turned to look at the conversation. "You people always think it comes down to strength, do you? We just need a healing potion and we're done."

"I have no doubt that he will survive, should you still have need of him," Raulyn said, "but can you save him from himself? From the ever-growing shadow that inhabits him…until his spirit gets crushed under its weight?"

Ari frowned and tilted her head. "The ever—…what? What does that even mean? What's with the cryptic language all of a sudden?"

"Heh…" Raulyn chuckled again. "This is not his world. We are not his people…and neither are you. Heh…what did he leave behind? A family? Friends?"

Ari's challenging look turned into a confused one. A shocked one. "What? What do you mean, 'not his world'? What are you talking about?"

"Heh…ask Jack…if you want to know the truth."

Ari looked up at Athena, who stood on Raulyn's other side. Athena looked back. She didn't seem as surprised as Ari felt, but she certainly hadn't expected to hear anything like that.

Cupa and Andr shared a glance. Cassandra was shaking her head, frowning, trying—and, for the first time in a while, failing—to find words to say. Yaebi, Ellie and Sylvia were looking at everyone's faces in an attempt to find answers.

"What does that mean?" Kelly finally asked.

Ari glanced at her before looking to Jack. "It means Jack is going to have to explain some things when he wakes up."


	12. The Fallen Realm

**Fernando 645:** _I'm really glad to hear that my way of writing the mobs is received positively. Thank you!_

* * *

 _Chapter eleven: The Fallen Realm_

Jack woke up with a jolt. He looked around to see a group of familiar shapes standing around him, their conversations falling silent as they saw him move. It was dark, the ground he was lying on felt cold and hard as stone.

"Whoa there, take it easy, big guy," Ari said. "You've been through a lot."

Jack tried to speak. The first attempt only allowed a raspy, unintelligible whisper to escape. He coughed a bit before trying again, this time with more success.

"What…happened?" he croaked. He looked around the darkness in search of Andr's silhouette, but she was nowhere to be found.

"You took a sword to the gut," Mystia dryly said.

Jack's hand went to where Raulyn's sword had stabbed him. The wound was gone. "What…? How…? How am I…?"

"Remember those potions I mentioned?" Mystia said as she patted the bag at her hip. "Healing you was a cakewalk."

"Uh…thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Jack blinked and looked at the others. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine." Cupa assured. "Everyone did a great job fighting the hunters—including you."

Jack shook his head and looked down. "I lost," he growled. "That's not what I call a 'great job'."

He didn't see the incredulous looks the mobs exchanged. "Jack," Cupa said, "this is a mob hunter we're talking about. Someone whose sole _job_ it is to hunt and kill. You held your own against him for…quite a while."

"I still lost. I put Yaebi in danger."

"I'm sure he won't take it personally," Cassandra sardonically cut in. "Get up, will you? You've been asleep for way too long already."

Jack gave her a glare before getting to his feet. Fortunately, the support he got from the stone wall behind him made that an easy process. "What about those mob hunters?" he asked.

"They'll probably be fine," Athena replied. She did sound a little guilty as she glanced away. "The damage we dealt is superficial. They may have some trouble regrouping, but they'll live."

"I guess there's that." Jack frowned, still a little foggy. "What about Raulyn?"

A brief silence fell.

"I'm-I'm sorry, what?" Mystia asked. "Raulyn? _The_ Raulyn? The Ironhand Hunter?"

"Yeah," Jack said. "He was the guy I fought."

"That was _Raulyn_?!" Cupa exclaimed, shocked. "You gave _Raulyn_ a run for his money?! And you _still_ berate yourself for losing?!"

"How do you know who he was?" Cassandra asked with suspicion.

Jack sighed. "Long story."

"We've got time," the cave spider insisted.

"You wanted to become a Hunter," Yaebi calmly guessed. "That's why you were with them at that cave in the first place. The one where you saved me."

"… Yeah," Jack admitted. "Raulyn…was the first guy I met around these parts."

"How many mobs have you killed?" Cassandra interrogated.

"None."

"How many have you captured?"

"None!" Jack's voice turned frustrated. "Yaebi was the first one I met. Look, I hardly knew anything about mobs when I applied for the job. For all I knew, those sons of bitches in Ironhand were telling the truth!"

"You should know a thing or two about not telling the truth," Cassandra said.

Jack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Another silence fell. In the darkness, Ari gave her younger sister a glare.

"Jack," Athena said, "do you remember what we talked about before we left for the Realm?"

Jack sighed. "I told you, I was going to tell you everything about my past once we get there. Speaking of which, where are we now?"

"We're inside the mountain that leads to the Realm," Athena patiently replied. "With Mystia's map, we'll be able to get to the Realm itself in about three days. Andr moved you here with her teleportation. She's been sitting alone for a while now. But about your past…"

"So we're not at the Realm yet," Jack said, starting to feel desperate. He didn't want to say anything as long as it wasn't necessary. "That means I don't have to say anything."

"I'm afraid your buddy from Ironhand already talked," Cassandra said. "You know—"

"Cass!" Ari intervened, sounding unusually stern. "Enough already!"

In the darkness, Jack saw Cassandra's silhouette glance to her sister before looking away, her arms crossed. Ari turned to Jack.

"Jack," the spider softly said. She hesitated, then turned to the other mobs. "Why don't you guys just…start thinking about what we should be doing when we get to the Realm?"

Jack felt a kind of hesitation. He suddenly realized that, if he were to tell everyone about his past, he might as well tell it to everyone at once. But was he ready to do it now…?

Suddenly, another silhouette joined the group. This one was tall and slender.

When Jack saw Andr, it was as if something inside him shifted. He felt…some sort of guilt. Andr had been on his side for almost the entire time he knew her, and he'd repaid her by withholding information that might very well change everything.

The others had been kind as well. Yet no one here really knew where Jack came from. Who he really _was_. They didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"She's right," Cupa said. "Come on, guy—"

"No," Jack said.

Everyone looked at him.

Having made his decision, Jack straightened his back. "What did Raulyn tell you?"

"He…" Ari said after a moment of hesitation. "He literally said that 'this isn't your world'." She paused. "Even the human scholars don't know much about other worlds, so…"

Jack swallowed. "Alright… Are there any records of a…a technologically advanced world where mobs don't exist?"

The mobs shared glances.

"No," Mystia finally said. "As far as we know, there's only the Nether. There are some rumors about other places like it, but every one of those worlds is more reliant on magic than anything else." She paused. "What kind of technology are we talking about, exactly?"

"All kinds. Machines, weapons, ways of transport…"

"You're just making this up," Cassandra said, though she didn't sound very convinced of that.

"You're the one who accused me of not telling the truth," Jack shot back. "What exactly were you expecting to hear?" He looked over the group. "Alright…you got your answer. Now what?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Cupa softly asked. "All this time, we thought you were from some other part of the Overworld we didn't know about. Now you're saying you're not from the Overworld at all…?"

"… I don't know why I kept it silent," Jack realized, glancing away. He noticed that his voice had begun to shake. Talking about Earth was taking its toll on him, as flashes of Blain, Sapphire, Ruby and Dean flashed before his mind's eye. "I guess I thought you'd be scared or weirded out. Or that you wouldn't believe me at all."

"You didn't think we'd care?" Cupa asked. "That you'd been taken away from…everything you know?"

Jack hesitated. He didn't know what to say to that.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see what he recognized as Ari's silhouette standing next to him.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation at the Realm," Ari said.

The group remained silent at first. Then, not without reluctance, it dispersed a bit.

Jack looked to Ari. "Uh…thanks," he quietly said.

"Don't mention it," Ari replied as she removed her hand. "You alright?"

Jack hesitated. "How can you _not_ be pissed at me?" He looked to the group. "How can _they_ stay so calm after what I just told them?"

"I think we'd all have done the same in your position," Ari said. "I don't think everyone will process the new information equally well, but they'll… _we_ 'll come around eventually." She paused. "Still…we'd all rather have heard it from you directly. Instead, we heard it from Raulyn."

"I was going to tell you," Jack said. "I made a promise to Athena; I was going to tell you everything once we got to the Realm. Ask her."

"We know." Ari paused. "Look…you've been helping us a lot so far. You've been fighting mob hunters left and right—including Raulyn himself. But you have to understand that this is kind of a big revelation. It'll take a while for us to digest."

"I get that." Jack sighed. "Let's just go."

"Alright."

Ari proceeded to follow the group deeper into the cave system. Jack followed as well, albeit a little farther in the back. He reckoned the mobs didn't want to talk to him right now.

* * *

The next three days involved many dark hallways and a lot of walking. Conversations were held from time to time to keep the mood as positive as possible. Mystia, of course, gave directions whenever necessary. Stops for food and rest were always short.

The main problem was that the stone floor wasn't exactly comfortable to sleep on. Following the short naps Jack managed to get, he frequently woke up with his bones complaining that his 'bed' wasn't soft and warm enough, making him gradually more annoyed at everything as a result.

At least the mobs were there to keep him company. Of course, they weren't happy with the situation, either. Everyone was a little scared. What if the map was no longer valid and some part of the cave had collapsed, blocking their way? What if the Realm itself wasn't as good a place to live as they expected it to be?

But they were all in it together, and that gave some comfort.

On the third day, Mystia finally said the words they had all been waiting for. "Light! I see light!"

A wave of sighs and words of relief went through the group. Some even cheered, their voices generating echoes that traveled through the cave. The group picked up its pace.

At first, Jack thought it was too good to be true. He wasn't sure exactly for how long they'd been wandering around in this cave. That light could've been anything—a glowstone lamp, a trick to fool outsiders, an illusion…

But these doubts were immediately negated when he reached the outside.

It appeared to be nighttime, the light originating from the bright moon and stars that were visible in the sky, illuminating the marvelous view in front of the group. Jack heard gasps all around him.

They seemed to have arrived in an unbelievably immense part of the mountain. The enormous stony wall where they emerged from formed a huge ring around an area full of nature, with the sky still very much visible. Grassy hills, clear rivers and lakes, tall trees, colorful plants and even some small animals could be seen below.

Along with all the green, however, small stone and wooden rectangles showed the remnants of a city, and on top of the largest hill, ruins of what used to be a castle proudly presented themselves. Nature had taken back most of what was presumed to be the former capital of the Kingdom, and the plants were still busy deteriorating the remaining vestiges.

After a while of silence, Athena spoke up. "The Fallen Realm is _in_ the mountain?"

"Yup, it seems so," Mystia affirmed, still in awe. "I thought this mountain was only the _way_ to the Realm. I guess it also serves as protection against outside attacks. How'd this happen, though? Did they just build this inside the mountain? A capital— no, _any_ sort of city should be a lot easier to access than what we just went through, wouldn't you think?"

"Who cares," Cassandra said, failing to hide the enthusiasm in her voice. "Come on, let's go!"

And so they did. They proceeded to walk deeper into the Realm, still looking around to observe the impressive scenery, and still working on realizing that this was going to be their new home.

Jack still stayed in the back. After what he'd told the group three days ago, some of the mobs had become a little distant. Not that he blamed them.

After a few minutes of walking, he came to know that he wasn't as separated from the rest of the group as he thought. A flash of purple light appeared in his peripheral vision.

"Hi," Jack greeted.

Andr went to walk next to him. They both remained silent for a minute as they followed the group.

"So," Jack eventually said, "uh, about the whole other world thing…"

"I trust you," Andr said.

Jack looked at her.

"I don't know what it's like to be in your position," Andr said. "Something tells me I would've kept it quiet as well. I think everyone would've."

"They don't see it that way," Jack said as he turned his gaze forward again.

"Some do," Andr said. "We were…a little shaken when you told us. But everyone's starting to understand now. Cupa feels bad for being angry with you at the time."

"No one should feel bad."

"They don't see it that way," Andr echoed.

Jack briefly cracked a small smile. "Heh…"

Andr hesitated. "Jack…can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"… Actually…"

"Don't back down now."

"No, I shouldn't be asking…"

"Is it about my world?"

"… Yeah."

"That's fine. Ask away."

Andr hesitated again. "W-when you were brought here…d-did you…leave someone behind?"

Jack felt a pit in his stomach. He found himself regretting giving Andr the permission to ask that question. He realized he should've seen it coming, though…

"W-well…" Jack said, his voice shaking a bit again. "Yeah…"

Andr looked at him.

"My parents," Jack softly said. "And my brother. And my sister." He paused. "I might just never see them again… Huh. That's…a really weird thought."

"You'll see them again," Andr promised. "Mystia…knows a lot of things. She'll find a way."

Jack remained silent for a bit. While he wasn't sure if Andr was telling the truth, he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. That, in turn, only caused him to become pessimistic; the only world the human scholars here knew about for sure was the Nether. How was Mystia going to find whatever world Earth was in?

"I couldn't beat him," Jack finally said.

"What?" Andr asked.

"Raulyn," Jack replied. "I couldn't beat him."

"Jack…" Andr sympathetically said. "Everyone made it out okay…"

"You're right, but we're not out of the woods yet. Something tells me this isn't the last we've heard of the Hunters. If I'm going to face Raulyn again, I'll need to know how." He looked at Andr. "I'm going to need your help with that."

Andr's eyes widened. "Y-you want me…to fight you?"

"I want you to help me fight the Hunters," Jack corrected her.

Andr hesitated. "But…Athena and Ari are a lot better at that kind of thing…"

"And I'll be asking for their help as well," Jack said. "But you might just be the most powerful mob here. If you help me learn, I'll know that I learned from the best."

Andr hesitated again. Jack felt like he was asking a little too much from her. He reckoned that—despite the secrets he'd kept about his past—the mobs no longer had sufficient reason to distrust him; he'd fought Raulyn in defense of himself and Yaebi. They wouldn't mind if he'd start training, would they?

Andr seemed to dislike fighting, though. Jack didn't want to change that, nor did he want to push her. But if he was going to face the Hunters—or some other danger—it was better to be safe than sorry.

Andr finally sighed. "Okay," she admitted. "Yeah. You're right. I'll help."

"You sure?" Jack asked.

Andr looked at him and showed him a smile. Not shy or sheepish like Jack was used to seeing, but simply…affectionate.

Not to mention, she was looking him in the eye again. Funnily enough, Jack felt his own face getting a little warm at that.

"Yeah," Andr said. "I want to help you be able to defend yourself."

"It's not just me who I want to defend," Jack said. "I didn't just fight Raulyn for my own sake."

"I know."

As the mob group went farther into the Realm, Jack and Andr stayed in the back, keeping their own brief conversations from time to time. Other times they walked in a comfortable silence, observing the marvelous nature that had grown under the foundations of the Realm's buildings.

But no matter how positive the mobs' prospects were, Jack couldn't help but worry about his own. Because even if there would be a way back to Earth, he felt that the Overworld had already become a part of him. A part that wouldn't ever let him go.

A part that he wouldn't ever _want_ to let go.

* * *

 _…_

 _If only they knew what their future held._

 _If only_ Jack _knew what his future held._


	13. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

 **The morning after the chase**

With great effort and greater pain, the mob hunters had managed to move themselves. Arthur and Sigurd had residual poison running through them, though no lethal doses. Bernard and Grayson had been knocked from their horses by some unseen mob. The weakness poison Raulyn had been struck by was still limiting his capabilities to an extent, as were the other hits he had received.

What made matters worse was that most of their horses had run off during the battle. Currently, they only had two left, with a weakened Raulyn on one of them and Bernard on the other. The final three had to walk on their own.

Once they reached the Silent Forest, Raulyn ordered Bernard and Arthur to go back to Glassway and report the events. Sigurd and Grayson needed to stay with Raulyn himself. They were all weakened and needed to ensure that they would reach the villages alive.

Upon reaching Ironhand a while later, Dominic—the village's physician—had Raulyn, Sigurd and Grayson go through an examination procedure to determine and reduce the severity of their wounds. Raulyn returned to the Hunters' headquarters immediately after that, bringing Sigurd and Grayson with him. Once inside, the three silently sat down at the conference table.

For a while, no sound was made.

Raulyn then sighed, his gaze downcast. "Tristan and Drake are dead. Ironhand is weakened. There is no more hunting for the time being." He paused, then looked the others in the eye. "We need more men. _I_ need more men."

Sigurd and Grayson shared a brief glance, before the latter spoke up. "Sir…with all due respect, our place is in Glassway. We cannot leave."

"I understand that," Raulyn replied. "All I ask of you is to send potential recruits to me. If enough are willing to join, this group might regain its former glory to some extent. And we will be able to do what we have to do once more."

"Fight the mobs," Sigurd grimly said.

Raulyn nodded. "They are still a threat. One that must be eradicated."

"But how? They are a race, and there are plenty more mobs at large aside from that one group."

"Plenty of opportunities to train the new recruits, then."

That made the two others share another glance. But they agreed.

They returned to Glassway soon after, ensuring that Ironhand's call for help would be spread there publicly.

The call soon spread to other villages.

Then it spread to cities.

Raulyn's plan had been put in motion.

 **To be continued in** ** _Gone Rogue 2: Second Shadow_** **.**


	14. Sequel notice

Hey guys.

The sequel's begun. Sort of. Only the prologue has been published so far, and the subsequent chapters will take a while to finish.  
Read the author's note at the beginning of said prologue for the full story.

Just thought I'd mention this...

This chapter will (probably) be deleted in a few days.

Have a nice day!

-F


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